Shattered
by Loganator-JR
Summary: "The worst feeling is when you're looking for the truth in the dark." Mourning The Loss Of Their Friend, A Group Will Stop At Nothing To Uncover The Mystery Of His Death. Will They Manage To Clear His Name? Or Will What They Uncover Shatter Their Entire Perspective? WARNINGS: Character Death, Language, Multiple Pairings. Story Way Better & More Eventful than Summary.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own big time rush, or any of the characters. If I did, there would be a lot more Camille and it'd probably be rated 18+…

Enjoy :)

* * *

He was riding his motorcycle down that particular road he knew as well as the back of his hands.

She tightened her grip around his waist, clutching at his leather jacket like her life depended on it. He could tell she was scared out of her mind.

He spared her a glanced in the rear-view mirror, noticing her grim expression.

"It's gonna be okay, Lucy!" He shouted, reassuringly, wanting to put her mind at ease, if even for a while.

Almost instantly, sirens blared from behind him. Cops were chasing him; three cars and two motorcycles.

Soon enough, he found himself trapped between the two motorcycles, listening to the two cops screaming at him to pull over. He tightened his hand as he sped the bike, Lucy's ragged breaths echoing in his ears.

His speeding went to no avail; the two motorcycles kept catching up easily. Way too easily.

The motorcycle swerved to the left and he felt his cell phone vibrating in his jacket for what felt like the tenth time since he got on his bike. He fought to regain his balance but their was no use as the motorcycle twirled to the side, falling, sliding a few meters, sending a burning to his side.

_But Lucy wasn't screaming._

He felt his hand let go of the bike, the latter kept sliding away from him and Lucy. He saw the cops stop near by, getting out of the cars and running toward him and Lucy.

He risked a glance towards her.

She was bloody. Blood was seeping from her helmet and she was out cold.

He struggled to take off his helmet, and suddenly felt it being snatched away from him.

He felt his phone vibrate again.

_Then there was only pain._

* * *

This is just the prologue. I know it's short and all BUT I promise the chapters are going to be long. Way longer than anything I've ever written. Unlike Fatal (which I am still figuring out), I have this entire thing planned out. It's just the matter of finding time to type everything up. Hopefully updates won't be more than a week apart.

This is going to be around up to 40 chapters or more, the prologue and the epilogue; it's a long journey ahead. I hope you guys like what's to come.

Feel free to tell me what's on your minds :)

-J


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry for the VERY late update, I'm a horrible person, I get it now.

Enjoy :)

* * *

Brooke Diamond snuggled in her bed, having some 'TV Time', eating some of her to-die-for chocolate chip cookies with her husband, Jeffery Diamond fast asleep by her side.

It wasn't everyday the housewife could get some peace and quite with her twenty-year-old son, Dak, around.

Dak was studying in the community college in Miami. She and Jeffery had taken Dak in after his parents and sister died in a car crash; they opted to adopt the eleven year old boy instead of having him shipped to foster homes. James, their biological son, was now twenty-nine. Though James hadn't been home much lately, since he opened the camp business with one of his friends. He'd visit on the weekends with money.

When Dak first moved in, Brooke and Jeff feared James's reaction. They were pleasantly surprised when James treated Dak as his own brother and took him under his wing. He even took him to school the first day after his parents' death and refused to leave until Dak had made some friends. Later, when Dak graduated high school and wanted to work to help the middle-class family, James, who hadn't gone to college, was completely opposing and he insisted that Dak should go.

Brooke was jolted out of her thoughts when the phone rang. She sighed as she called out to Dak to get it. When she got no response, she got up grumpily and walked to Jeffery's side of the bed. Reluctantly, she picked up the phone, wondering who'd possibly call them at one in the morning.

"Hello?"

"Yes, this is the Diamonds residence..."

"I'm his mother."

Brooke was thrown off by the man's official manner. And him asking for James wasn't exactly helping the scared mother. But what the man said next totally confirmed her fears.

"I regret to inform you that Mr. James Diamond was involved in an accident about two hours ago and he died on impact with the-"

"NO!" Brooke screamed into the ear piece as Jeffery sprang out of his sleep. "No, you're lying!" Dak burst into his parents room, worry on his face. "Please, stop..."

_It can't be. It can't be. It can't be._

Brooke let her grip on the ear piece slacken, as she kept repeating her words, slumping back onto the bed as silent tears streamed down her face and immediately felt Jeff's hands around her. She was hoping her words would turn into a mantra that worked and that James was just fine.

_But it was a long shot._

Gripping the phone tightly again, Brooke brought it to ears, trying to convince the man that her son can't be dead.

Dak was able to prey the phone out of her hands, trying talk to the man.

"He's dead, Dak; you're brother is dead!" Brooke's silent tears were turning into hysterical crying as it registered in her head; "James is dead, Jeff, my son is dead!"

Her sobbing soon turned to whimpers as Jeffery's arms stayed tight around her shaking form and soon enough, everything turned black to her.

_If only for a while._

* * *

The next day, Carlos Garcia literally strutted through the DEA building as he tugged on his necktie and chugged down a water bottle, heading to his boss's office to get the briefing on the bust from the day before.

Carlos gave up all sorts of social life after his wife died, he didn't interact with anybody other than his own son, parents and co-workers in the DEA. After Sasha passed away, he turned all his focus into his job and raising his son, Javi.

He finally found himself in front of his boss's office, just as Jett Stetson, another agent and his best friend, came out. Carlos threw the now empty water bottle to an agent who happened to be wondering that particular hallway.

"Morning, J!"

Jett chuckled as the other agent looked from the bottle in his hand to Carlos weirdly, before tossing the bottle in a near by trash can and continuing on his way.

"Morning, Carlos. How's Javi?"

A smile graced the Latino's lips as he replied; "Javi is better today, mum managed to get his fever down. He's okay." His expression turned professional suddenly and Jett knew Carlos was proud of his full control over his emotions. Even his voice was a bit rougher as he asked; "Chief's in there?"

_Like a lifeless robot._

"Yeah. He's been asking for you, actually."

With a short wave, Carlos dismissed Jett and pushed the door open to his superior's office. The fifty-something year old man was sitting by his mahogany desk, going through some files. When he acknowledged Carlos's presence when the latter cleared his throat, he gestured towards the chair on the other side.

"Take a seat, Garcia." Carlos nodded and took long strides towards the chair, unbuttoning his jacket's button. "He died yesterday. His motorcycle tipped and he died on impact, Lucy was with him but she didn't die. She's currently in a coma; the accident did her way worse than him."

Carlos ran a hand through his short hair; "Thanks to the idiots who couldn't get him at the camp."

"Carlos!" The older man scolded; "This isn't a blame game! You're not in high school and you're most certainly not blaming the team for their lack of preparation for the whole ordeal!" The man sighed as he closed the files he was looking through; "Get you head together, Garcia."

"Sorry, Chief."

The man nodded; "The police handed over the case fully, the DEA is now in charge; We no longer work under the PD. Figure this out, Garcia. Fast."

"I'll head over to the camp immediately an-"

"No, Stetson is already off with orders; I want you here, take up that investigation and find William Dooley. The man left the camp before the cops got to him."

With a wave of his hand, Carlos was dismissed with new orders.

He went to his office, his thoughts running to the reason he fought to get on board with this case, let alone lead the investigation. He was going to solve this case.

_Whatever it took._

* * *

Stephanie King walked into 'King's Motors'. The store was her business; she sold motorbikes; different makes. The business was amazing, not a lot of people liked the hassle of a big car and hunting for parking spots. And since the business's income was off the charts, it wasn't much to get a few mechanics to work for her and her clients. Now the store offered monthly check-ups on the bikes.

Her secretary, Annie, sprang up from her seat, walking up to her. "Miss. King, there's someone waiting for you in your office."

Stephanie's eyes wondered to her glass office, seeing a brown-haired man opening the door and approaching her.

"Mrs. King." The man said as he shook her hand; "I'm special agent Jett Stetson, the DEA."

"It's Miss, actually. Have been for about three years." Stephanie looked Jett up and down and asked; "You're here because...?"

Stephanie was aware she wasn't involved in any drug trade of any sort. She even sold the coffee shop her ex-husband used to own because some guys were caught selling cocaine, heroine and weed in it.

Jett shrugged; "We just would like to chat with you for a bit." At her questioning gaze, he continued; "About Mr. James Diamond? Your partner?"

"What about him?"

"Oh..." Jett trailed off at the woman's confused face. "It's obvious you were not informed yet; James Diamond was involved in an accident the day before. I'm so sorry, but Mr. Diamond is gone."

As tears clouded her vision, Stephanie listened as Agent Stetson continued on how James lost control over his motorcycle when the cops where chasing him and how he died on impact.

"I'm sorry." The agent continued; "It's essential to talk to you, it'll not be more than an hour."

* * *

"Your honor," The twenty-eight- year-old lawyer started; "Mr. Bitters has been working for that bank for over ten years now. He barely makes twenty grand a year, his bonuses included."

Camille Roberts stared at her young mentor in admiration as he continued to defend the innocent convict. She didn't know anything about his social life, all she knew was that he was mentored by a very excellent lawyer himself then he opened his own office just a couple of years back.

Camille had just graduated two years ago. While most fresh- graduates would apply for internship with lawyers like Lucas Evans, the lawyer currently standing behind her mentor, smiling smugly, knowing he'd win this case one way or another, Camille chose to work for the man who went up against Lucas in cases over and over again.

Not that he ever won any.

_But that's not the point._

She has been working for this man for two years and she now understood why he lost the cases.

Lawyers like Lucas Evans, those whose clients were too rich for their own good. Money enough to buy people's honor.

_That was how Lucas Evans and people like him rolled._

It also didn't take her long to find out her mentor was a single man living alone in his apartment, which he turned half of it into his office.

She was jolted back into reality as her mentor continued; "It couldn't be that after ten years of hard work, he'd give all that up for a bribe a 10 million loan. And if he did, where's the money? Mr. Bitters colleagues all testified that this man is one of the most honorable." Her mentor chuckled darkly as he went on; "And what are we even doing here? Trying to put an innocent man behind bars while people like Mathew Bolton and his family are robbing the country and we're just looking in through the side lines. He-"

Camille's mentor was cut off by Lucas Evans himself, as the older man stood up; "Objection, your owner, Mr. Mitchell is throwing his assumption about innocent people around! That's unacceptable!"

The judge sighed, he has been dealing with the two men's issues for three years. "Please Mr. Mitchell, stay on topic. And Mr. Evans; please stay calm in the court of law."

Logan Mitchell sighed, muttering 'Fucking ass' under his breath.

"Oh, did I hear Mr. Mitchell speaking inappropriate language in the court of law?"

Logan gritted his teeth in frustration; "No..."

_Life was so unfair sometimes..._

* * *

Logan and Camille walked together out of the courtroom, talking about the case while Logan loosened his tie in distress. He glanced back and saw Lucas Evans, his ex-mentor, approaching them. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair again.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and Camille's voice; "He's a dirty lawyer, you know that."

Nodding, he answered; "That dirty lawyer was my mentor for seven years, three of them were before I even graduated."

While Camille knew Logan was mentored by one of those lawyers, she wouldn't have thought he was Lucas Evans.

"Well, you left him for good. You did the right thing."

"I know."

How Logan wanted to smack Lucas Evans's smirk of his face!

With a simple 'Good luck, Logan', the man was out of his hair for now.

_And Logan's disrespect grew for the man._

* * *

Stephanie had been sitting in that office in the DEA for over an hour. She'd been crying her eyes out over her lost friend.

Suddenly the door was jerked open and Stephanie jumped slightly as a latino man walked in.

"Sorry." The man said awkwardly, "The door was jammed."

She nodded as she wiped at her tears with no use, they just kept coming. The man walked awkwardly to his desk, picking up a pack of tissues, handing them to her. Stephanie accepted them, thanking him politely. He smiled faintly as he walked around the desk to sit on his chair, he pointed to his name, scripted delicately on silver plate placed on the desk.

"Carlos Garcia." When Stephanie nodded silently, he continued. "Miss King, you and James Diamond have been friends for a while?"

Stephanie Nodded. "For about six years."

"He never mentioned _any_ sort of drug dealing?"

"What?" Stephanie asked, her expression going from sad to pissed off in a matter of seconds; "Of course not!"

"No?"

"No!" She confirmed.

Carlos nodded as he stood up and bent over the desk; "You and James were..." The latino trailed off, picking his words carefully; "Just friends?"

"Mr. Garcia, I believe our relationship is none of your business." Stephanie sighed, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear; "And the friends? James has lots of those... Can you tell why I am here?"

Carlos nodded straightening up and taking off his jacket; "You're here because of whatever relationship you had with James." He placed the jacket on the coat hanger in the corner; "He's your partner in the motorcycle business?"

"Incorrect." She nodded; "He is my partner in the Chinese imported division, not my entire business. And just on paper; he withdrew all his money and borrowed some more so he could start his camp up with another friend of ours."

Carlos nodded again; "James Diamond is charged with cocaine and heroine dealing, an anonymous reported him. He was dealing in the camp..." Carlos trailed off and rolled his sleeves up to his elbows. "What do you know about the camp, Stephanie?"

"I've been there once or twice." She answered; "With our mutual group of friends, mostly right after it opened." She looked at him skeptically; "But drugs? James? Are you serious?"

Choosing not to answer, he picked up a pen and a paper, handing it to her, "Can you please write me the names of those mutual friends of yours?" When Stephanie put them back on the desk, he frowned; "Something wrong?"

"I just don't get why I should do this." Stephanie shrugged; "James is not-wasn't a drug dealer, okay? None of them will tell you otherwise; you're wasting your time."

Carlos sighed; "Nobody should be forced to do anything." He walked around the desk and leaned on it right next to her, "But there's law and there's an open investigation." He slammed his hand against the desk suddenly, making her jump; "I also hope our first meeting doesn't include noncooperation on your behalf. Now _please_, write the names."

Stephanie hunched over the desk, scribbling out the names just as Carlos's phone rang. Carlos walked around the desk again, picking up his cell phone.

"Talk to me, Jett!" He ran a hand through his hair as he watched Stephanie; "Wait, you're still here?!... No, no, leave for the camp!" Stephanie stopped writing and passed him the paper, he dismissed her with a wave of his hand; "No, I'm heading over to the hospital, actually..." The door slammed shut after Stephanie and Carlos picked up the paper; "Jett, when you get back, I want you to do some background check on some people, I'll text you the names so you can start as soon as possible... Bye."

Carlos hung up and looked at the list of names with a studying gaze.

_William 'Wayne' Dooley._

_Jo Taylor-Knight._

_Logan Mitchell._

_Lucy Stone._

_Kendall Knight._

* * *

Kendall Knight threw the empty marker in the trash can as he took a seat at the head of the conference room table.

"So, what I'm trying to say is that anyone looking for an apartment, a place to settle down, they'll find themselves looking for four things; safety, comfort, services and prices. That being said, I want to use our flag as a part of the logo." He smiled in accomplishment as he continued; "That will offer the clients a sense of safety and comfort. As for the services and prices, that's on you. But above all, it'll give out the feeling that this apartment compounds are available for everyone!"

The company's delegate nodded; "I like the flag idea, but you have to know that this is not our vision, Kendall." When he registered Kendall's confused face, he continued; "As in, you generalized everything too much; these compounds are not for everyone. We're only aiming for the high class."

Kendall sighed; "You lost me... High class people?"

"Like you and me, Kendall."

_Kendall Knight was insanely rich._

Well, he wasn't rich, but his father, Kenneth Knight, owned an advertising agency. Kendall worked for his father in the agency, with a side job in his field of expertise as a director. He directed commercials and music videos for unknown Miami local artists.

_He made a lot of money._

Kendall nodded, understanding; "You mean those who already have money? Who already own fancy houses and a lot of cars? And a summer house somewhere?" At the delegate's nod, Kendall continued; "And what's wrong with it being available for normal people? To give them the hope and motivation with the fact that they still live with us? In the same state? In the same block? They sure as hell will be able to afford if you offer appropriate means of payment."

"You mean...? No, Kendall. We're not aiming for those; we want those gold diggers who'll pay in cash. Those are the citizens to me."

Kendall shook his head; "They're like five percent of Miami! I'm not planning and directing a commercial for a five percent. I aim for everybody, always do."

"Our project is only aiming for those five percent."

Kendall sighed at the man's resistance; "Isn't this the Mayor's last hope to win votes in the next elections?" When the man nodded, yet again, he went on; "Far from the personal relationship between the Mayor and I and the fact that his son is a friend of mine; he's the fucking Mayor! And when the Mayor helps unemployed youths looking for housing, this will be fucking amazing for him!"

The delegate smiled; "Listen, Kendall, because you obviously don't get it. Mayor Jacob's business has nothing to do with his position as the Mayor. The two just don't mix, alright?" The man sighed; "Anyway, we accept your idea, we'll take the logo and you'll still do the commercial." He chuckled; "Just don't go over board with the poor, youths and hopes. No funny business."

Kendall just stared.

* * *

"I don't get it anymore!" Kendall exclaimed as he slumped down on the couch in his father's office. "Just finished the meeting with the Mayor's people... Do those people even live on the same planet as we do?" When Kenneth Knight didn't reply, Kendall wondered in worry; "Something wrong dad?"

Kenneth sighed, dreading telling his son the news.

"A DEA agent came for you around an hour ago."

"A DEA agent?" Kendall asked; "For me? No way! I didn't do anything!"

"It's about James... Diamond." The father hesitated; he knew Kendall was close to his neighbor and best friend. "There was an accident just yesterday. He passed away..."

Kendall sprang out of his seat in a mix of surprise and sadness.

"James Diamond? Our James? Are you sure?!"

Kenneth nodded but Kendall was already running out of the office.

* * *

Edward Stone was talking to one of the surgeons on his daughter's, Lucy, case.

"Is there a chance she'll wake up soon?"

The surgeon looked at the panicking father in sympathy. "The accident caused a crack in her skull and a severe brain bleed and swelling. That was all fixed in surgery but her brain will need time to heal and it differs between patients. It could take a few days or it could take months. There's nothing we could do to help at this point."

"Can't we have her transferred to, no offense, a better hospital?" Edward was desperate; "Like Cleveland Clinic! Maybe Mayo or Hopkins! I'll pay anything!"

The surgeon shook his head; "This hospital is just as capable and efficient as Mayo or Hopkins can be." The doctor sighed; "And even if you want to, we can't discharge her when she's involved and one of the prime suspects in a drug case, we even got strict orders to run blood tests."

"D-drugs?!"

The doctor nodded; "If I was in your shoes, I'd call the lawyer as soon as possible, Mr. Stone. This is serious matters; the DEA is handling the entire thing."

Edward nodded as he studied the intern that had been poking Lucy with needles for a few minutes now, understanding her was taking the blood samples.

_To run the blood tests._

* * *

This was basically the intro to MOST of the characters... tell me what you think of all of them?

Review? Please?

-J


	3. Chapter 3

WOOHOO! An update!

Enjoy!

* * *

Jeffery and Dak Diamond were standing uncomfortably in the hospital's morgue. While Jeff was mostly uncomfortable due to all the bodies strapped to the tables, Dak was uncomfortable because his brother, his role model, was one of those bodies.

They were standing in a small office that was separated from the actual morgue by a thin glass wall, waiting for the doctor to clear out James so they could arrange the funeral, get their closure.

The female doctor that looked no older than mid-thirties finally re-entered the room, ushering them towards the seats as she sat down herself.

"I'm really sorry, but you won't be able to take James today."

The two men exchanged confused looks; "Is something wrong?"

"There's a specific system to deal with cases like this," The doctor explained; "And without the DEA's consent, I'm afraid I can't let you have him yet."

Jeff sprang up from his seat; "What the hell does the DEA has to do with my son's burial?!"

"Calm down, Mr. Diamond." The doctor soothed in a manner that seemed over practiced and somewhat over done; "Would you like something to drink?"

"Something to drink?" He repeated sarcastically; "Do you even have any fucking sense at all?!" Just on time, the door opened and a short latino in a suite walked in, as the distraught father continued his frantic outburst with Dak trying in vain to calm his father down. "My son is DEAD! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Special agent Carlos Garcia," The man said, "DEA."

Dak glared; "You're the one responsible for withholding my brother's body?"

Carlos sighed as he nodded; "You're Dak, am I correct?" When Dak nodded, he continued; "I'm terribly sorry for your loss and the hold up. I'm sorry but you can't take the body until tomorrow."

Jeff stammered; "What? Why?"

"I regret to inform you that we've been tracking down cocaine dealers in Miami." Carlos started; "We believe James is one of those, after we received an anonymous report."

"Co-cocaine?" Jeff repeated in utter surprise; "Impossible! My son doesn't-didn't know such stuff! Impossible! No way!"

"I'm very sorry." Carlos repeated; "We found cocaine in his jacket on the night of the accident. But it was too much to assume he's just an addict, it's an amount for dealing."

"Impossible!" The older man screamed, defending his son; "I know my son! I know he wouldn't do that! No way!"

"Yesterday he was in the camp with Lucy, Lucy Stone. Are you familiar with that name?"

"I know her father. The business man, Edward." The older man shared; "But I'm afraid I'm not familiar with her."

Carlos turned to the younger Diamond; "Dak?"

"No."

Carlos nodded; "Anyway, our force tried to arrest him on his way back but he escaped, the chase lead to the accident and when James and Lucy were searched, the force found the cocaine."

"No way!" The denial continued; "Impossible!"

* * *

Brooke Diamond hadn't stopped crying.

She was sitting in the living room with Jennifer and Joanna Mitchell, her two best friends and Jennifer's daughter, Katie.

The Knights, Diamonds and Mitchell's had been friends since their kids were in diapers despite the different social status. The close age difference between Kendall, James and Logan had helped the three families get closer and closer, not minding the Knights' and the Mitchells' incredibly rich status or the middle class Diamonds.

The silence was broken by the frantic knock on the door, the four women jumped slightly.

_Cops were right outside._

The man who appeared to be the others superior, ordered them to search the house then turned to the women; "We have a warrant to search the house. Please stay calm and we'll be out of your hair in a minute."

In a matter of a few minutes, the entire house was in chaos.

* * *

Logan was going through the file of his latest case, the one against Lucas Evans.

The poor accountant was forced to sign with an ultimatum, so the rich family can get the loan without any guarantees; sign or loose his job. So he did. And now, that it was discovered and the 'deal' was in the open, the investigation going, the family admitted to bribing the man and that he signed willingly for the sake of the money.

_Unfair._

Logan sighed as he placed the file back on the desk, leaning his head back against the chair.

That was exactly how Camille found him a few minutes later.

"Logan?" She called out softly, not wanting to wake him up if he was asleep. When he looked at her, she smiled and continued; "Someone is waiting for you in the living room. He says he's a friend of yours."

"Thank you."

She waved it off as she announced she'll make him and the guest some coffee and he got up and headed to his living room.

He smiled widely almost instantly when he saw who was sitting in his living room.

"Kendall!" He exclaimed as the other man stood up and pulled the shorter in a one-armed hug; "Damn, I missed you guys!"

The two friends, who hadn't seen each other in a few months, due to their busy schedules, pulled away from the hug, both grinning. Though Logan noted Kendall's grin didn't reach his eyes.

"Hey, Loges."

Logan narrowed his eyes; "Okay, something is up. What's wrong?"

Kendall's gaze fell to the floor as he swallowed the lump in his throat; "uhhh... James. H-he died yesterday."

Logan's smile disappeared as he studied Kendall's face, refusing to believe him. He fell back onto the living room couch, running a hand through his hair as a single tear slipped from his eyes.

The blonde sat next to him, resting a hand on Logan's knee as he explained; "A motorcycle accident. Lucy was there, but she's alive in a coma. Or that's what I heard anyway. They were coming back from the camp." Logan leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, letting his head rest on the palms of his hands; "Steph called, said that the DEA talked to her. They came to my dad's office too, but I wasn't available."

"DEA?" Logan asked, lifting his head to look at Kendall; "What do they have to do with anything concerning James's accident?"

"They say James was a dealer."

"Dealer?" Logan repeated. "What the hell are you talking about? Who said that?" His voice was getting louder with every word he spoke; "And where the fuck is Wayne?!"

"He's not answering the phone, he's not in the camp either."

Logan sighed again, resting his head back against the couch; "I had a feeling something would happen..." He trailed off as he wiped the few tears that were cascading down his face; "I swear I just knew something would happen."

They both heard the knock on the front door and turned their heads, watching as Camille opened the door and ushered the man inside. They both felt under-dressed compared to the man's suite, while Kendall was wearing a plaid shirt and washed off jeans and Logan in a white v-neck and black jeans.

"Carlos Garcia, DEA." The man said as he shook their hands.

"Kendall Knight."

"Logan Mitchell." Logan said, eyeing the DEA agent; "Which I guess you already know since you're currently standing in my living room."

Carlos chuckled; "Yes, I know." He looked around the living room then back to them; "So you're all a large group of friends?"

"Correct."

Carlos nodded; "Can I talk to Mr. Knight in private, Mr. Mitchell?"

"Just Logan." The brunette said as he nodded; "I'll be right outside." He left the two men standing, heading over to his office, where Camille was waiting for him.

"Have a seat, Mr. Knight." Carlos said as he took a seat himself, "First of all, I need you to know that I'm a friend. I'm not trying to prove James was a dealer, I'm just trying to fish out the truth. Please acknowledge that." When Kendall nodded, he proceeded; "When have you last spoken to James?"

Kendall thought for a second; "Unfortunately, we haven't talked in a while, he was always in the camp and I have a busy job. Life happens." He sighed; "It's been a while."

"So you two haven't spoken yesterday?"

Kendall shook he's head; "No, we haven't."

Carlos nodded, reaching into his pocket; "Kendall," He started, "This is a list of James's phone calls yesterday." He placed the paper in front of the taller man; "This number called him about an hour right before the accident, are you familiar with it? It is registered under your name."

Kendall frowned as he studied the number; "It's registered under my name but I'm not the one using it..."

Carlos eyebrows met in confusion; "Then who is?"

"My wife..."

* * *

Josephine Taylor-Knight was at the local coffee shop, the same one the entire group used to hang out. The group was known there, they were frequent customers who knew the manager and most of the waiters.

_They even had their own table._

The teacher was sitting at their regular table, which one side was a couch and the other three were chairs, with one of her best friends Stephanie King. Both were clad in black, silently crying over their lost friend and what they believed was false charges against him.

"Kendall told me Lucy was with him..."

Stephanie's head snapped from, from where she'd been resting it on the table; "What?! What happened to her?!"

The blonde shrugged, wiping some tears away; "I don't know." She watched as Stephanie kept playing with the shredded napkin in her hand; "But I bet the cocaine was hers."

Stephanie looked up at her again; "We don't know that, Jo."

"We might not know that, but we know James and Lucy, Steph. And we know that if one of them took or traded that it was Lucy."

The brunette shrugged but replied firmly; "We're not going to assume anything about anybody, even if she was responsible."

Jo sighed and looked towards the door, just in time to see Logan and Kendall entering together.

"Hey..." Logan trailed off as he hugged both women tightly then slid down into a chair.

"You met the DEA agent?"

Logan nodded to Stephanie; "He came to my place, found Kendall there."

Kendall confirmed with a nod then turned to Jo; "You called James yesterday?"

"Yeah." She said; "I just wanted to say hi, see how he was doing. But he never picked up."

"Logan," Stephanie called; "Was Lucy really with him?"

He nodded; "Garcia said she went into a coma."

Silence fell heavily over the four of them, each of them remembering a random moment, when they were all happy with no drama. And most importantly; when their group was whole.

Kendall chuckled softly, "He was the one keen on gathering us from time to time when he was alive," He chuckled again, darkly, sad smiles gracing all their faces; "He's still doing it even though he's gone."

* * *

Jeff and Dak were in a mix of astonishment and anger as they looked around when they entered their home.

_The place was literally upside down!_

Dak fled up the stairs then reappeared a second later as he shouted; "They broke James's door down!"

Anger burnt in both of their eyes, just as Katie Knight ran into the house; "Dak! Uncle Jeff! The cops were here and searched the place and they didn't find anything an-"

Jeff cut the nineteen-year-old off, "Where's Brooke?!"

"She passed out and we took her to Auntie Joanna's-"

She never got to finish.

The two men were already out the door, running to the Mitchell's residence. She sighed and closed the door as she followed to the house she knew just like she knew her own.

* * *

Carlos walked into the hospital's waiting room, immediately spotting the man he was looking for.

"Carlos Garcia, DEA." He introduced himself as he stood in front of the older man, looking as the man's mouth formed a soft 'O'.

"I was told you wanted to see me...?"

"It'll be only a minute." Carlos promised then went straight to the point; "Do you know what exactly Lucy's relationship with James was?"

Edward shrugged; "They were all friends." He said; "I don't really know when exactly did they meet, but they've been friends for a long while."

Carlos nodded; "Lucy's labs are out..."

"And?" The older man urged.

"There was cocaine in her blood."

The door opened and the surgeon on Lucy's case came in.

"Oh, my apologies. I wasn't aware there were visitors, Mr. Stone."

Carlos turned to the man; "Something wrong, Doc?"

"No, no. Nothing at all."

"Yes, there is!" Edward yelled; "It can't get any worse, actually!"

The doctor sighed, looking at the old man, who was mentally freaking out. "Mr. Garcia, I know it comes with the job and all, but it's not exactly convenient to talk right now." He gestured towards Edward, "You can see how he is."

Carlos glanced back to Edward then turned to the surgeon, nodding; "There will be two cops by Lucy's door from now on. Just for protection."

"Thank you, sir." The doctor said gratefully, watching as the DEA agent left the room then turned to Edward; "Mr. Stone? I'm afraid I have some more bad news."

As Edward listened, he figured out it actually could get more worse than his only daughter being a drug addict.

_Now she was pregnant too._

* * *

This was supposed to be the rest of chapter one and yet, not all the main characters were introduced and not much actually happened; I really suck at this. Anyway, feel free to smack me whenever I mess up :p

Huuuuuuuge thank you to those who fav-ed and followed =D

Til Chapter '3'

-J


	4. Chapter 4

Hello, everyone!

Sorry for the late update, but a lot of shit was happening at the same time, all that crap.

Anyway, Enjoy :)

* * *

The casket holding James's body was lowered six feet under, in front of all the people that were once important in his life.

_Except two._

Kendall and Logan were still talking to the devastated family; Brooke was wrapped in Logan's warm embrace. Kendall and Logan were like her own sons, being close with their families had the two thinking of her as a mother.

All the while, Jo and Stephanie were watching from a few feet away.

"Wayne is still missing?"

Stephanie's answer was a simple, non-caring shrug as she stared at the scene in front of her; "Kendall and Logan have been trying to reach him, but no use."

The gloomy silence returned on the two ladies.

_And that was how Carlos found them._

He was making his way through the masses of bodies, belonging to James's family. Apparently the guy was quite popular and loved.

He spotted the two of them, standing to the side, and he marched over to them.

"Sorry for your loss." He told them with a nod towards Stephanie, then he turned to Jo and extended his hand; "Mrs. Knight, I assume?" She accepted his hand, shaking it and nodding, "Carlos Garcia, DEA. I was hoping you could come to my office to talk. Miss King is familiar with it, I could really use-"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Stephanie exclaimed, interrupting the DEA agent, gesturing to her surroundings; "You're bringing that up right here? Right now?"

Carlos took off his shades as he answered her in a rush, discomfort written all over his face; "Excuse me for not exactly being comfortable in funerals with dead bodies under my feet!" He hissed then took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down; "Look, don't make this harder than it should be." He turned to Jo; "I have your number, I'll call you."

The ladies watched as he walked over to James's family, right past Kendall and Logan, delivering a simple nod to both of them.

Logan tugged at his tie, loosening it and unbuttoning the first button, as he and Kendall approached Stephanie and Jo, turning back to narrow his eyes on Carlos's retreating form.

"He wants to talk to me." Jo explained before either of them had a chance to ask.

Stephanie nodded as she took Jo's hand, tugging at it softly; "We'll wait for you, guys, outside."

Kendall and Logan watched as they headed out towards their cars, but halting at the familiar face that had shown up. They watched as Jo and Stephanie shook hands with the older man, who pulled Stephanie into a hug, paying her more attention that Jo.

"David Jacobs." Logan murmured as he turned to Kendall; "Does that mean Steve knows?"

David Jacobs was the mayor and Steve's father. Logan, Kendall and James all went to the same schools, from kindergarten to high school. Steve was the last member to join the group of friends in middle school.

Logan's question was left unanswered as David nodded when he passed by the two adults, two body guards by his side. He continued his way towards the Diamonds, standing behind Carlos who was being verbally attacked by Brooke.

"Your apologies and condolences are not accepted!" They heard Brooke snap at Carlos; "You're accusing my son falsely of dealing drugs! I can't accept you apologies, I'm sorry, I am, I just can't!"

Kendall sighed as they watched their mums gather Brooke's whimpering body in their arms. They turned towards the parking lot, slowly walking over to Jo and Stephanie.

"If the Mayor is here, then Steve knows, most likely."

* * *

Dak reluctantly left his parents on their way home. He was a medical student after all and if he was to miss classes, he knew James would have hated him.

_James had worked his butt off so Dak could actually go to college._

People had been eyeing him weirdly since he stepped foot on campus, he didn't really know if it was because his brother died or because of the news of him being a drug dealer.

He spotted Jennifer Woods, his girlfriend since high school and apparently, his colleage sweat heart as well.

Jennifer walked towards him, immediately enveloping him in hug as he buried a hand in her hair as the other rested comfortably on her waste.

"God, I'm so sorry about James." She whispered quietly in his ear. "How are you, guys? Need any help with anything?"

"No, no. We're fine." He assured her; "James's friends are doing enough already." He paused for a second, still holding Jennifer close; "It's just-he didn't-I didn't even get to say goodbye." He sighed, pulling away. "How could somebody just disappear from your life? Just like that?"

Jennifer broke inside as he let a few tears slip away from his eyes and she didn't answer.

_Because really, how could someone who was always a constant in your life just disappear out of the blue?_

* * *

Logan walked into his apartment/office, throwing his keys on the table by the door. He sighed as he walked into his living room, spotting Camille on his couch.

"Hey, Cam, could you please get me the file of the Bitters's case? And while you're at it, could yo-" Logan stopped mid-sentence as he noticed the ear-buds connected to a laptop that was resting on Camille's lap. He followed the ear-buds with his eyes until they disappeared behind a curtain of the shorter brunette's hair.

The young lawyer chuckled slightly as he approached Camille from behind, he could already hear the music blasting into Camille's ear. He reached forward, tugging at one of the ear-buds, earning a shriek from her as jumped off the couch, the laptop smacking into the ground.

"Don't EVER do that again!" Camille screamed at him, holding a hand to her rapidly beating heart, still trying to catch her breath.

"You're not the boss of me." Logan replied calmly; "I'm the boss of you, literally."

Camille saluted him, jokingly; "Alrighty, boss!" She smiled and added; "There's someone waiting for you in the office; he's been here for two hours now."

"Kendall? The guy from yesterday?"

Camille shook her head; "No, Kendall is blonde, tall, bushy eyebrows. This one is dark haired, goatee, average height."

"Goatee?!"

"Yeah." Camille said; "Apparently, you have friends that I don't know about."

Logan chuckled, winking; "You don't know everything about me." He fished his necktie out from his jacket pocket, and took the said jacket off. He tossed them onto the living room couch, earning himself a smack from his intern.

"There's a walk-in closet in your room;" She scolded him; "Make use of it."

"Okay, mum." He replied sarcastically as Camille took both clothing articles and moved towards his bedroom. "Hey, Camille!" He called out; "Coffee? Please?"

She rolled her eyes good naturally at him; "Just keep in mind I'm an intern here, not a freaking maid, boss."

"Oh please!" He retorted as he walked towards his office; "You have the keys to my apartment!"

He heard her chuckling as he pushed the door open to his office, his smile disappearing from his face as a figure sprang up from his couch, walking towards Logan and embraced the lawyer tightly.

Logan stiffened in the hug and wiggled away from the slightly taller man.

"What's wrong?" The man asked as he stepped back from Logan.

The latter shrugged; "I'm sorry. A friend of mine just died two days ago and I just came from the funeral; I'm a bit out of it."

"Why are you talking so formally?"

"Why didn't you come to the funeral?!" Logan snapped.

The man sighed, shoulders slumping slightly; "I just knew yesterday an-"

Logan shoved the man; "Liar!" He pointed an accusing finger towards the man; "You're lying to me, Wayne! Now, tell me why the fuck weren't you there?!"

He almost regretted the outburst when Wayne's eyes flooded with tears.

"I-I just couldn't, okay?" Wayne answered, "I couldn't believe it, kept telling myself it wasn't real, that it couldn't be." He chuckled through his tears as he walked to the couch; "I still he's going to pop out of nowhere, like in the movies, screaming it was all a joke."

Logan nodded; "Except that this is not a movie, nor is it a joke." He eyed Wayne as continued; "But he was crazy, alright. Only crazy people deal drugs."

"Drugs?"

"Like you don't know?"

"No! I don't!"

"And the case?"

"What case?"

Logan ran a hand through his hair; "You were his partner in the camp, where they found the cocaine." He sighed; "They're looking for you, too."

"I was his partner in the camp! And only the camp!" Wayne screamed as he stood up; "I have nothing to do with any drugs, okay?! And I'm clean! They can take blood samples or whatever!"

"You're nuts!" Logan shouted; "Being 'clean' won't get you out of a case like this!" Camille's entrance cut them off; she felt the tension in the air as she walked quickly towards the small coffee table, placing the coffee she made for her boss. Logan waited as she was out the door again, murmuring a tiny 'Thank you'. "Wayne, if there's nothing on you in this case then why are you running? Why are you even here?"

"I'm here to see you an-"

Logan stopped his with a flicker of his hand, placing his coffee back on the table as he turned back to Wayne.

"See me?" He wondered; "I've known you for ten years now and not one have you came to just 'see me'. No more that beating around the bushes bullshit, tell me what you want from me!"

Wayne just looked down at his feet, partly in embarrassment.

Logan sighed and nodding in understanding as he opened the door, calling Camille back in.

"The guest room, Camille." He said quietly; "The key is in my room, please get it prepared. Wayne will be staying here for a while."

Camille nodded and left the room to carry out the task at hand.

The lawyer glanced back to his friend, seeing the grateful look on his face. Logan smiled softly and picked his coffee, slumping down in the chair behind his desk.

* * *

Edward watched the doctor in interest, as the latter did the regular check-up on his daughter. He waited until the middle-aged man was done to follow him out of the room and into the hallway.

"Doctor." He called out; " Can I have a word, please?" At the doctor's nod, Edward asked; "How's Lucy's health? And the baby?"

The doctor replied; "We're doing the best we can with both of them, they're both stable at the moment."

Edward sighed; "You know how in situations like this, when the patient isn't capable of making their own decision? You know how the people closest to them, preferably the parents, would be the ones to do?" The doctor nodded again; "Well, Lucy is in a coma, she can't make decisions concerning her course of treatment and I'm obligated to make such drastic decisions considering the circumstances..." He trailed off as he took a deep breath; "I want to discuss the possibility of an abortion," When the doctor's eyes widened in a mix of realization and disgust; he continued; "It's just that I'm not sure who's the father and if her friend, the one who just died, was him; wouldn't it be a pardon for the baby to grow up fatherless? And if it's affecting Lucy's health, I don't want to take any risks with my daughter."

That's when the doctor's outburst came.

"This is bullshit and you know it!" He screamed; "You don't want her to have the abortion because the baby is affecting her condition badly, you want it for your own reputation!" The doctor shook his head furiously as he ignored his beeping pager; "I'm sorry, As long as the baby isn't an obstacle in Lucy's recovery, I'll not perform such procedure without her consent. Or the father, if he's still alive. If anything, the abortion will be endangering to her health."

The doctor stormed formed, bumping his shoulder with the older man painfully, leaving the older man with his head pounding in a shameful silence.

* * *

It was exactly two hours after the funeral when Carlos pushed the glass double door to King's Motors. He requested to meet Stephanie and was waiting for her, looking around.

King's Motors was two floors. The first was where some of the motorcycles were displayed; the second was only Stephanie's office.

"Mr. Garcia..." Carlos spun around, hearing her voice, accompanied by the clicks of her heels as she descended the stairs. "Twice in one day;" She chuckled as she crossed her arms; "How lucky can I get?"

"Just Carlos." He smiled slightly; "How are you now?" When she just nodded, her hands now resting on her hips; he face-palmed; "Oh, you're still pissed about the funeral? Look, Stephanie, I'm sorry, really, I am. But I already told you how uncomfortable I get in cemeteries."

Stephanie nodded as she ushered him up to her office; "Apology accepted. I also believe I overreacted; it just wasn't the right time or place."

"Of course." Carlos replied as he looked around her office; "James used to spend a lot of time here?"

"Wow, straight to the point." She chuckled and answered; "He had a share in this place; of course he did."

"Oh..." Carlos frowned; "Look, the more honest and clear you're with me, the faster you'll get rid of me."

"Ahmm." Stephanie sighed as she sat back in her chair; "I have nothing to hide; ask me anything."

"How did the two of you become friends?"

She answered; "Lucy and I were childhood friends, our fathers were business partners, until my father died three years ago. She introduced him to me, along with Logan, Kendall, Wayne and my ex-husband."

"Your ex? Steve Jacobs?"

She nodded; "Kendall, Logan and James knew each other since they were in diapers. Steve joined them in middle school and Wayne in college. I don't know when Lucy met them, but she introduced me to them all at the same time. Then we all met Jo through Kendall and James four years ago."

* * *

_**About Six Years Ago; July 2006.**_

"Would you stop doing that?!" Lucy snapped as she snatched Stephanie's phone out of her hand.

The two friends were supposed to meet some of Lucy's friends in a local coffee shop, Lucy insisted to finally introduce Stephanie to them. They were sitting at what Lucy kept calling their regular table and apparently, all the waiters thought so too.

Stephanie snatched her phone back and hissed; "My dad keeps calling, you know how he is."

Lucy chuckled; "All I know is that you can't leave now. They're almost here and I'm sleeping over anyway."

Stephanie picked her bag and stood up, pulling Lucy to her feet; "Then you're coming with me, they should've been here over an hour ago!"

Lucy pulled her hand out of Stephanie's grasp and pushed her back in her seat. "Just call you dad, tell him you're home. Problem solved." She chuckled; "It's not you live with him anymore and, excuse me, you're not sixteen anymore."

"He worried because he cares!" Stephanie argued; "And I'm not lying to him."

Stephanie's father moved to Miami from Kansas City after her mom's death. He saw no point in living alone anymore, so he bought a house near Stephanie's and worked with Lucy's dad.

Just then her phone rang again. "Is it him?" At Stephanie's distressed nod, she grabbed the phone before Lucy and turned it to silent mode, putting it by her side, away from Stephanie, against the latter's objections; "Just tell him you didn't hear it!" Her attention was turned towards the door, where the small bell over the coffee shop's door dinged, signaling someone's arrival. Stephanie turned just in time to see the tall brunette that walked into the place, making his way towards them with his face buried in his phone. "James!"

Stephanie almost jumped when Lucy squealed, jumping up and hugging 'James'. "What's up, Luce?" He said as he pocketed the phone and leant against the chairs as Lucy returned to her seat.

"James; Stephanie King, Stephanie; James Diamond." James smiled a perfect smile as he extended a hand towards Stephanie;

"Hey."

"Hi."

"So," Lucy started, "How was it?"

James sighed as he took a seat himself; "Well, I went today an-"

"Lucy!" He got interrupted when a blonde greeted them from his place at the door, smiling widely as he approached. When he was finally by the table, he kissed Lucy's forehead then he turned to Stephanie, smirking while he extended his hand; "Beautiful lady I don't know." The smirk was replaced by a genuine smile as he added; "Kendall Knight."

Once again, Stephanie found herself in the middle of another introduction while Lucy went on about how Kendall was a publicist/director type of thing.

James chuckled, shoving his hands into his jeans' pockets; "Man, I'm going to miss you all!"

"Why?" Stephanie asked then quickly added; "If you don't mind me asking!"

"Well," He sighed heavily; "My father says I'm not going anywhere with my life an-"

"Aaaaaaaaand he forced him to enlist." Lucy finished with a dramatic sigh.

"Enlist? As in the army?"

"No no no no no no!" Kendall interjected; "I don't like how the two of you are putting it. James shouldn't be all sad and devastated to enlist; he should be proud and so fucking honored to serve." He turned to James; "And it's for what? One freaking year?"

James smiled; "Wanna trade? You take the army and I work for daddy dearest?"

"Dude, trust me; If you worked for daddy dearest one day, you'll go running off to boot camp in no time!" He exclaimed and half smiled as they laughed; "Like it's been your dream for you're entire freaking life."

"Anyway, where are the boys at?"

James glanced at his watch; "Steve is looking for a parking spot. Logan won't make it; Lucas Evans is basically holding him hostage until he finishes the crappy boss's work. Wayne said he'll be late."

"Luce;" Kendall said; "See those twins right there?" He said and tilted his head towards a guy and a girl who looked exactly like each other who were sitting a few tables away; "How about we go get lucky?"

Lucy's laugh rang through the entire place, managing to attract the attention of the twins. Kendall smirked as he took her hand and they made their way towards the table.

James chuckled as he looked through the menu, even though he knew it just like the back of his hand; "I should start searching for some steady partners for those two… marriage even." He glanced at Stephanie over the menu and he smiled; "You know anybody desperate enough to settle for those rabbits?" He chuckled; "A steady marriage should be able to stop the parties and the get-togethers in their south areas, right?"

"I strangely disagree." She answered; "There's nothing easier than cheating."

"Not true;" He objected; "If you love someone; you won't be able to even see anybody but them. No one will ever be able satisfy you, both physically and emotionally, except them." He went back to the menu; "You obviously have never been in love before."

"Oh yeah?" She crossed her arms, strangely enjoying the conversation; "We've know each other for a total fifteen minutes and you're already throwing assumptions left and right?"

He discarded the menu on the table as he said; "It's written all over your face…" He paused as the door bell dinged and a jet black-haired man walked in towards their table at a fast pace; "There you go!" He gestured towards the man and said; "The man whore! They should either lock him up or cut his dick off. Marriage won't do it."

"Dude!" The guy said as he lent down beside James; "Did you see Cindy's last tattoo? Freaking perv got it on her-Hey!" He said the last to Stephanie, finally noticing the unfamiliar face. He then turned to James like he never saw her in the first place; "You know what, I'll hit that tonight, snap a picture and out her in Facebook!"

Stephanie struggled to keep her laugh in as she picked her bag and phone up; "Point proven, Mr. Diamond. Sadly, I have to go."

James shot the man a dirty look; "Of course you will." He shook his head as he stood up; "C'mon, I'll take you there."

"Nah, just tell Lucy not to be late."

As she made her way towards the door, she heard the man's voice.

"Dude, who's that chick? You should've introduced us!"

"Oh, shut the fuck up, Steve!"

* * *

_**Present Time.**_

"You and Lucy are still friends?" Carlos asked and sipped his coffee, placing the cup beside the small water bottle in the tray.

"It's been a while since we talked last." Stephanie asked; "We had our differences."

"Did you know she was with James on the night if the accident?"

"I wasn't aware of it when it happened." She replied; "I was told later."

Carlos nodded; "Do you have any idea on why she would be at the camp with James in the first place?"

Stephanie studied the latino in interest; "I'm hoping you could tell me; you're the cop leading the investigation."

Carlos chuckled, knowing he was over-stepping and pissing her off again; "I don't know..." He trailed off then snapped his fingers a few seconds later; "Why haven't you visited her in the hospital yet? You parted off at really bad terms that you're not friends anymore? You said you had 'differences', whatever those are."

Stephanie let out a deep breath as she said; "Lucy and I had been friends for a while... But then my father died, Steve and I got closer and eventually married and we kind of drifted apart."

Carlos nodded, his expression hardening; "Do you know about Steve's whereabouts?"

Stephanie picked a pen and kept tapping it against her desk; "Steve calls from time to time, just not regularly. You never actually know he's going to call. Last time we talked was about...two or three months ago, I guess. I think he said he was in London."

"James didn't talk about him lately?" Carlos wondered.

She shook her head; "We don't hear from James that often anymore... Specifically since he joined Wayne's business in the camp. They both were always there, we were always here. Life happens." She shrugged; "They probably talked, James was the one Steve trusted the most."

Carlos nodded, taking the information in.

"I know I'm really getting on your nerves with all those questions," He said; "But I'm doing that for your own good, all of you, and James's too." He sighed and looked around the office one more time awkwardly; "We'll talk later."

He sprang out of his seat suddenly, strutting out of the office and jogged down the stairs and Stephanie stared at his retreating back in amazed amusement.

"Bye...?"

* * *

How was that?

Please review :)

-J


	5. Chapter 5

Woohoo! An update! Fastest update since this started.

And Kendall Knight sucks! That is my only thought concerning BTDecision, and BTBabysitting.

Enjoy :)

* * *

Kendall walked into his father's office with his hand shoved in to his pockets. He knew why exactly his father called for him as soon as he came this morning; he just wasn't too thrilled to have this conversation.

He slumped down on the couch, catching his father's attention.

The older man tore his gaze away from his laptop screen; "Kendall." He greeted as he took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes; "You rejected the Mayor's compounds commercial project, I hear?"

Kendall nodded.

"May I ask why would you do such thing? The Mayor came here because of you and your friendship with Steve; he was willing to pay a lot." Kenneth shook his head; "Why would you chase away such an important client?"

Kendall sighed; "I was a fool." He started; "I thought that after he was elected for another period, he'd stop the collecting money crap and start actually working for the people. And then, the elections are coming up again and he seems so sure he'd be in for another period." He sighed again; "I have no idea how he actually wins those elections." He shook his head; "So stupid."

Surprisingly enough, at least to Kendall, Kenneth nodded in understanding. The usually practical man, who never let his private life or political beliefs stand in the way of his career, was actually okay with his son's actions. Which he normally wasn't okay with.

The older man drummed his fingers on his desk; "What matters the most is you being at peace at your job, it it's what you're going to do for the rest of your life." He chuckled; "Isn't that why Logan quit working under Lucas Evans?"

Nodding, Kendall explained; "Logan said he'd rather be a good lawyer who goes bankrupt than a dirty lawyer who can have everything he's ever wanted. He said it'd make him happier, make him actually sleep at night."

Kenneth sighed; "Speaking of making peace, want to tell me about the weed the busboy found in your office?" His voice hardened and sounded even sterner than it usually did, especially when Kendall refused to meet his eyes; "And yesterday, the DEA had been looking for you, to question you about James's situation... So Kendall, is there anything you'd like to tell me?" When Kendall was about to object and reply, Kenneth cut him off, raising his hand to stop him; "And don't you dare give that crap about how you're old and no longer my responsibility! You're my son; I have the right to look out for you until the day I die!" He waited for Kendall to say anything; explain himself. And when he didn't, the older Knight sighed; "Are you going to give me an actual answer or should I take a freaking blood sample?"

"Blood sample?" Kendall repeated in astonishment; "You're accusing me of doing cocaine? And James of dealing?! Are you kidding me now?!"

Kenneth shook his head; "Look, Kendall; you know James was like my own son. Logan too. They were amazing kids and were raised up just right, just like you. Perhaps how Logan was raised, which was to be a good man, was what pushed him to leave Evans's job. He was raised to do the right thing, even if it killed him. So were you and James." He paused as he picked his next words carefully; "But sometimes in life, you'd be forced to do stuff that you've never imagined yourself doing. Maybe James did what he did because he needed the money; you know James, his pride wouldn't let him borrow." He, once again, cut Kendall's protests off as he continued; "Being raised up together doesn't mean you know everything about James, specifically not since you all drifted apart. There's no way you know everything James did either." He sighed; "Weed is light stuff, but Kendall, cocaine? I won't be able to get you out of this predicament if you were actually involved."

"I get it." Kendall nodded; "And don't worry, dad, I'm not involved and I know exactly what I'm doing."

"I hope so, son. I sure do."

"Hey." Jennifer touched Dak's hand, snapping him out of his thoughts; "What's wrong?"

The pre-med student ran a hand through his hair; "You know, I never actually understood James..." He trailed off as he sighed; "When he used to come home every other day with money, I'd always ask how he got it... He'd always tell me not to worry about it and to focus on my studying and graduating." He blew away a breath in distress; "I just feel like I don't understand anything anymore. And frankly? I'm afraid that if I actually understood; I might end up hating James... I can't hate James, I'm dreading the day the truth comes out and he turns out to be a drug dealer. It'll be unbearable."

Jennifer was about to say something when someone cleared their throat behind them, gaining both of their attention.

"Dak, hi." Carlos said. After Dak introduced both him and Jennifer; he asked; "Can we chat for a minute?"

Taking the hint; Jennifer got up, "I'll see you later?" When Dak responded with a nod, she left the two men walking around campus.

"So," Carlos started; "Your brother loved you dearly."

Dak nodded; "James never was just an older brother to me; he was more like my own father." Dak stiffened slightly as he hugged his huge biology book to his chest; "My parents died when I was just eleven, which was when the Diamonds took m in. James was eighteen at that point, always looked out for me, and took me under his wing. He was, in a way, my father. When I was fifteen, he was unemployed while all of his friends were in college and when they'd ask about his plans for the future, he'd always say that..." Dak trailed off as he wiped away the tears that were cascading down his face; "th-that he'd do all he could do to make me the best I could be..." He sighed and stopped wiping his tears, letting them flow. "When I was in high school, right after he finished his time in the army, he came back to visit and he and dad got into a fight..."

* * *

**About Four years ago; September 2007.**

"But what's the point?!" Dak could hear his brother's voice clearly from his father's office. "Wake up, dad, and take a look around; your land is gone!"

"Shut up, James!" Dad screamed back, his voice full of venom; "That's my land! My money! My rights!"

"But we're losing too much money! The lawyers will suck all we have!" James screamed; "Dak is still a senior, dad, he'll need money for college! I'll get by but you guys won't! We're losing more than what you paid for the land!"

"I'm doing it for you and Dak!"

"Dad; you're in court against the freaking government! Are you even aware that there's no way you're going to win it back?!"

"I am well aware of that!" Jeffery exclaimed but his voice broke as he continued; "But it's my dream, James. Everything I've ever lived for."

"Give up, dad." James said, his voice laced with sympathy; "Stone is using the government to take your land back, nothing is going to change that."

* * *

**Present Time.**

Dak was sitting on the stairs, doubled over as he cried over his dead brother. He was still grieving and Carlos understood that.

The latino was kneeling by Dak, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly; "James would've wanted you to keep yourself together, you know that?"

Dak nodded harshly, wiping his tears away; "I-I'm s-sorry."

"Don't be. Just let it out."

Dak took a minute to compose himself and finally turned to the DEA agent; "Do you need anything else from me?"

"No... Not right now."

"The cops are looking for you." Logan stated as he crossed his arms and lent against the guest room door frame, watching as Wayne prepared the bed.

"Dude." Wayne said; "Lay off."

"What the hell, Wayne?" Logan hissed; "I'm with, not against you. This is your ass on the line."

"Loges;" Wayne started; "I don't need a lawyer and I just don't want to drag you into this mess."

"You're missing the fact that I'm already in the middle of this mess." Logan scoffed; "You're hiding in my place, Wayne. If the cops were to come here and find you; I'm a goner for sure."

"Don't worry. It's just for a couple of days and I'll leave."

"Why would you even leave?" Logan asked; frustration on his face as he finally stepped into the room. "If you've done nothing wrong, why are you so afraid?"

"If it was proven that James was a dealer, which he wasn't, I'll be dragged in it because I'm his partner!" He explained; "We've been living in the same place since we opened the camp! It would be logical to them if I was too!"

He slumped down on the bed; "And even if he was proven innocent; whoever set him up and did this to him can easily set me up for something!" He ran his hand through his hair, pulling at its end and he continued; "I'm not going to stand on the side lines and watch them ruin my life. I just can't." He heard Logan sigh and his footsteps as he made his way to the bed and sat cross-legged. He smiled as he looked around the room, "You know, the place hasn't changed at all..." He stood up and walked to the small desk in the corner and ran a hand over it; "Remember when James used to come here and sit with us while we studied?"

"I never understood that." Logan smiled softly; "Why he'd be here. We were both Pre-law then me law school and he didn't even go to college, yet he'd come everyday and stay with us. He'd make us food and all. I never understood it."

"He said it was the loneliness." Replied Wayne; "He said no matter how many people were around him, he always felt lonely unless he was with one of us. And even then, he would still lonely." He chuckled; "Now that I look back, I should've taken him to see a psychiatrist." He said and Logan laughed, causing him to explain; "I'm not even joking; he had those things about him, the way he talked, his weird opinions on different topics and he always knew what to say..." He trailed off and shook his head; "Nobody is that perfect."

The bell rang and they both heard and Camille, who was walking around the apartment frantically as she gathered her stuff.

She walked over to the door as she called to Logan; "I hope that's not the liquor, boss, or I'll seriously start worrying about you." She joked and opened the door, her smile turning to a smirk as she spotted the beautiful woman on the other side; "You certainly don't seem like one of those pay-per-night sluts; I approve."

"Excuse me?" The woman asked, weirded out by the brunette's behavior; "Isn't this Logan Mitchell apart-"

"The one and only." Logan said as he approached the two women from the guest room, dropping a kiss on the woman's forehead; "Stephanie." He acknowledged. He turned to Camille to introduce them; "Stephanie, this is Cam-What?" He dropped the introduction and narrowed his eyes at his intern, trying to figure out the reason she was smirking at him. His eyes widened in realization as he remembered an earlier conversation where she said that Logan turned out to have a lot of friends she wasn't aware of and Wayne had joked back by saying that Logan's next step would be alcohol and prostitutes. "No!" He exclaimed, starling Stephanie; "No no no no! She's not a prostitute!"

Stephanie's eyes widened in turn; "Excuse me, what?"

Logan was about to explain, but Camille beat him to speaking; "Whatever you say, boss!" She turned to Stephanie, the smirk long gone and now replaced with an apologic smile; "Sorry, Miss Stephanie. That was just a joke, I didn't mean to be inappropriate." She turned back to Logan; "I'll leave you all now. See you tomorrow, boss." She called out towards the guest room; "Bye, stranger!" And finally turned to Stephanie; "I'll hopefully see you again, Miss Stephanie."

With a final wave, the perky brunette was out the door, shutting it softly in her tail.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Stephanie turned to Logan, amusement all over her face; "What was that?!"

Logan chuckled; "My intern/assistant type of thing..."

It was Stephanie's turn to smirk; "You joke around with you assistant about prostitutes?" She chuckled; "You're a lot more fun than I remember."

Logan glared at her playfully but before he could retort something back, the door to the guest room opened and Wayne got out. The rare playful look disappeared from Stephanie's face.

"Hey, Stephanie."

Opting to ignore him, She turned to Logan; "What brought that scumbag here, Logan?!" She exclaimed, pointing a finger at Wayne. She turned to the latter; "What? You feel all better now? You killed him and it's all good now?" She snapped; "But thanks for not turning up at the funeral, proved how much of a gentleman you are!"

"What?" Wayne asked; "What the fuck are you talking about, Stephanie?!"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about, Wayne!" She exclaimed; "You know I'm right and you know you're responsible for all the shit going down right now! You're the one who pushed and pushed so he could get into this camp business in the first place!"

Sick of Stephanie's accusations, Wayne started to snap back; "You don't even care about James!" He shouted; "All you care about is your own motorcycles and the money he borrowed, and may I add; paid back, to get into the camp! Go on, let it all out. Logan isn't a stranger, he know everything."

The lawyer was following the fight between the two friends, seemingly lost for words. He chose not to interfere anyway and let the two of them let off the steam.

"Why would I care only for my booming business?!" Stephanie retorted; "You think we're all cut from the same cloth as yourself, heartless gold diggers?!" Despite choosing not to interfere, what Stephanie said next threw Logan off; "At least he didn't make a deal with Edward Stone! The man who's sucked all the Diamonds' money!"

"Edward Stone?!" Logan exclaimed in shock.

"Yes!" She replied; "That son of a bitch didn't think James would tell me!" She turned to Wayne; "You're not his only friend, you know!"

It was Logan's turn to yell at Wayne; "What the hell, Wayne?! What does Stone have to do with James?!" When Wayne refused to answer, Logan stomped to the front door, locking it; "Neither of you leaves today until you tell me what the actual fuck is going on!"

* * *

Carlos had just returned to the DEA, around eight at night, when Jett told him that Jo Knight had been waiting in his office for an hour. He made his way to his office and pushed the door open.

"Good evening, Mrs. Knight." He said as he closed the door and walked over to sit behind his office, loosening his tie; "My apologies for the wait."

Jo looked up from her phone, "Might as well call me Jo. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of each other in the nest few days."

Carlos smiled as he crossed his arms on the desk; "So, I've been told that being involved in investigations isn't not at all new to you."

"No, not one bit." She answered; "Though I've never been to the DEA, it was always about politics... Wrote stuff I shouldn't have on my blog, about the mayor and corruption with those that surround him."

Waving it off as he lent back in his chair, he said; "Both of which are addictions."

She chuckled; "There's a huge difference between being addicted to protecting people's rights and destroying them."

"Well, thank God we're not here for politics, otherwise I'll never win the argument." He joked; "Anyway, I asked your husband, Kendall, about the number that called James on the night of the accident." He started; "When he informed me it was yours, I chose not to tell him about the calls of the entire month." He sighed; "Isn't six or seven called per-day a bit too much to your husband's friend?"

"Not for someone like James." She answered, choosing to ignore the accusation of cheating the latino was implying; "He was our listener, much like Logan, actually. Talking to either of them was like talking to yourself in the mirror. And when they were done talking back, you'd have their answer and advice drilled to your head."

Carlos nodded; "And you needed his advice concerning...?" He trailed of, waiting for her answer.

Her unexpected answer hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Whether saying 'I do' to Kendall a year and a half ago was right... Or wrong."

* * *

Thanks for taking time to read my crap :)

Please review.

-J


	6. Chapter 6

After watching BTGold... While Kendall and Logan were entertaining, as always, Kendall still sucks.

Thanks to the amazingly creepy; Krehpeh for the new amazing poster. The dude is pretty persuasive. He wanted me to change the poster because while I thought mine was good enough, he's a perfectionist with a different idea. And I hate you by the way.

And an update. Sorry for the delay but against popular belief, I DO actually have a life. And a girlfriend. And an extra needy brother.

Okay, now any scene you might feel is NOT related to the plot, is basically an intro to a sub-plot. As I said, there are a lot of characters; all of them have their own stories and problems. And seriously, Shattered, LITERALLY, hasn't even begun YET!

Anyway, without further delay; ENJOY!

* * *

**Few Months Ago; July 2012.**

Stephanie was going through some boring paper work in her office in King's Motors. She was so engrossed in her work that she hadn't heard the door open and shut softly and was no where near aware of her new companion.

"Missed me?"

The new, and unexpected, voice in the room jolted Stephanie out of her work.

She looked up to see the very familiar smirk and smiled herself, standing and walking towards the man, embracing him in a warm hug.

"Hey, Jay. When did you get back?"

"Just now." He answered; "Thought I'd come see you before I drop by Loges then head home." He chuckled; "You got to see Logan's new hot intern!"

"Ahmm," She chuckled; "So you're visiting Logan to see the hot intern?"

"Yes!" He joked; "Actually, I just miss him and Kendall. But I think Kendall is stuck with his dad today, like always." He pause; "Can we talk for a while?"

She was about to tell him that she was tired and that she was going home in a few, but seeing his conflict evident on his face, Stephanie decided to discard her work for the time being and give him her undivided attention and replied with a simple "Sure." instead.

"I came to apologize." He said; "I know it's much later than it should've been, but better late than never."

Stephanie studied the much taller brunette; "Look, if you're here to apologize; you've been forgiven for a while..." She trailed off and frowned; "But I can tell it's more than that."

He chuckled as he made the short walk to her desk and sat down, gesturing for her to do the same. Instead of taking her usual seat behind the desk, she dropped to the one right across from him.

"You know me too well." He nodded; "It's not just apologizing, no. I'm here to tell you everything; so you wouldn't think I sold you out for Wayne." He ran a hand through his hair as he gathered his thoughts; "When I agreed to the camp business with Wayne, all in, it was because it was my father's idea from the start. His dream, everything he's ever lived for. It's always been; even since before I was born." He picked a pen off the desk and started tapping it lightly; "But even though, if there was only Wayne in this, I wouldn't have agreed to it. I did it because he wasn't alone."

"Ummm..." She didn't know what to expect by this point, so she just asked; "Who else?"

"Edward Stone... But it's all under the table." He slid his hand into the pockets of his leather jacket; "He owns the land and we own the camp. It's the same land he took away from my father, and I'm planning to get it back from him."

* * *

**Present Time.**

"Is that real, Wayne?" Logan asked as he stood, leaning against the kitchen counter, arms crossed.

As he said, the lawyer wouldn't let either Stephanie or Wayne leave before they told him what the hell was going on and about Edwards Stone's participation in the camp.

The other two each sat on a stool by the counter, Logan on the other side in the kitchen.

"So what if it is?" Wayne replied calmly; "He owns like, half the lands in Miami due to his financial position and his buddies in the high low places. He controls most of the business around here, okay? I don't give a fuck if he was the one involved with Jeffery Diamond in the land thing or that he destroyed James's family over and over again! That was three years ago. I didn't know the camp land was the same one they were fighting over all those years, neither did James. Maybe if we had known, we wouldn't have done it, but we were past the point of no return. Plus, we tried so many failed business ideas before, but one with Stone was solid to work!" He stared at the two of them, the challenge written on his face, traced with anger; "Plus, if it bothered James so much, why didn't he leave the partnership? Asked to get away from everything? He didn't, he continued because it was good money! Something the two of us needed! Something the two of you don't know what it means to be missing on. The two of you grew in wealthy families, you've got money. We didn't, we had to stoop low to get by."

Choosing to ignore Wayne's latest comment, Logan said; "He stayed in the business till he died."

"His death is not my responsibility, Logan." Wayne stated; "I'm not God! His time was up; God wanted him back, whatever the crap you believe in! I didn't kill my friend!"

"And the cocaine?" Stephanie asked; "Whose responsibility was that?"

"Not mine!" Wayne yelled; "We were making great money from the camp! Perfectly enough for the two of us! I have been saving since we started it and he paid back his debts to you, Stephanie, while handling all his home bills. Why would we need cocaine money while we're doing so well?!"

Logan shook his head as he stared into space; "You're not responsible." He snapped out of his trance as he rubbed the back of his neck; "Edward wanted his land back, again. So he had someone planting the cocaine in the motorcycle and the camp to frame you both and get rid of you." He sighed; "As he did with Uncle Jeff when he framed him of faking the contracts."

"Exactly, Logan!" Wayne exclaimed; "Now you all know why I'm hiding!"

"But that won't make any sense since Lucy was on the same motorbike… unless he didn't know she was there…." Logan shook his head; "On paper, who owns the land?"

"James and I. But that wouldn't even matter." Wayne replied; "All the documents and contracts are with Edward's lawyer, they're all unregistered so officially, the land is still his."

"And who the hell is this lawyer?" Stephanie asked.

Wayne gestured towards Logan; "The same one Logan worked for since he was a law student. Logan was the reason Evans won most of the cases; he was brilliant and Evans used him. Logan is also the one who helped Evans win the land case against Jeffery three years ago."

"We're not here to discuss my dirty past." Logan interjected softly, eyes on the floor in guilt and shame; "But Wayne, this whole arrangement... You're in some deep shit. You should tell that DEA agent, Carlos, he can help you."

"Do you want me to go to prison so bad?" Wayne scoffed; "Edward had the land transferred to Lucy's ownership months ago, also still not registered. The only two who can confirm what I'm saying are James and Lucy. Last time I checked; the first is dead and the second is in a fucking coma!" Wayne sighed as he rubbed his forehead; "I'm screwed and that's why I have to leave."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Stephanie said; "You'll keep running? Leave the whole thing on James?"

Wayne shook his head.

"It's my life against his honor. I can't do anything about it."

* * *

"Hey." Lucas Evans said as he casually walked into the hospital's waiting room.

"Hi." Edward replied quietly.

The older man had been staying in the hospital 24/7, alternating between Lucy's bedside and the waiting room.

"Sorry about Lucy."

Edward nodded; "What did you do about Wayne?"

"He left the camp before we got to him, the cops can't find him either." He said; "Although they did find cocaine when they searched the camp."

"So he's in Miami?"

"So?" Lucas smirked; "We'll get him."

"Is there a possibility I could get dragged into this?"

"Of course not." Lucas smiled; "I have all the important documents, whatever Wayne has won't do him any good."

"So Wayne and James we using my camp to sell cocaine behind our backs." He shook his head; "You got to find Wayne before the cops do and Lucy gets involved. I don't want her in the middle of this."

"This is why I'm here." Lucas said; "When the toxins tests came back positive and it was proven that Lucy had cocaine in her system, she got involved." When Edward turned to him in complete and utter panic, he continued; "But don't worry; I got everything under control."

* * *

Brooke Diamond just wanted to relax and have her morning coffee on her balcony, but James's smashed and beaten motorcycle was ruining her morning. The bike was staring back at her, mocking her with every dent and every bruise. She kept looking at it, unaware of the silent tears that were flowing down her cheeks. She didn't notice when Jeff came in and sat on the chair beside her own.

Jeff watched his wife closely. Brooke hasn't been herself since James passed away. And it wasn't like Jeff was feeling over the moon, but he was managing. On the other hand, Brooke seemed like cardboard frame of her old self. The usual nice and perky woman was replaced by the depressed mess that sat right in front of his eyes now.

"Do you want to sell it?" He finally asked, talking about the motorcycle; "Get rid of it, instead of keeping it as a reminder."

Before he got a reply, the doorbell rang and he excused himself, walking down the stairs to the front door; Brooke followed slowly behind.

It was Dak.

The younger man walked in, cradling a box in one hand and a helmet in the other.

"Sorry." He smiled sheepishly; I couldn't reach the keys." He walked over to the couch, sitting down and opened the box; "I got James's clothes from the dry cleaner's right here, those from the night of the accident."

Brooke reached into the box and picked James's leather jacket, the one he wore almost everyday. She raised the very familiar jacket to her nose and inhaled deeply, tears still flowing nonstop.

_Finally something that was purely James._

The father and son were barely containing tears of their own at the sight.

* * *

Being a kindergarten teacher wasn't exactly the easiest profession in the book, Jo Taylor realized that as she flew between the tables where the toddlers as they drew and colored, breaking several small fights over whose coloring pencil was that.

What was easy though was those toddlers' lives. She wished she could be as care free as they were, only having pointless fights about who drew better or whose mum was better.

_Her job left her drained._

One girl in particular caught her eye today; the girl was sitting in a table alone, further away from any of the other kids, drawing in complete silence.

"Jenna?" Jo said softly as not to startle the little girl, sitting in the uncomfortably small chair next to the girl; "Why are you sitting alone?"

"I like being alone."

Jo frowned as she reached for Jenna's sketch book, looking at what Jenna was working on. Her frown deepened even more as she observed the stick figured drawn on paper; two long ones were holding hands under a tree, the messy hair told it was a man and a woman. What caused the frown on Jo's face though was the third stick figure, the much smaller one, that was drawn in what Jo assumed was the sky, judging by the light blue coloring around it.

"Who are those?" Jo couldn't help but ask.

Jenna pointed to the two figures that were holding hands; "Those are my mum and dad," She pointed to the third figure, that was floating in the sky; "And that's me."

"Where are you flying to?"

"Up to the sky," Jenna answered with a sad smile gracing her features. "When I die, mum and dad will be happy again."

Jo's frowning eyes turned glassy as she soothed the girl into joining the group, making a mental note to talk to whoever picked Jenna up from school.

* * *

Jett handed Carlos a stack of photos. They were both in Carlos's office in the DEA building, Jett was sitting on the couch, legs crossed, while Carlos was sitting on a chair with his back resting against the arm rest, his legs resting against the other one.

"Those are all the photos we found on James's laptop." Jett said; "The ones who are found almost in every picture are Logan, Kendall, Stephanie, Wayne, Jo, Lucy and Steve. It seems like even though James had a lot of acquaintances, none of them were as close to him as those seven. Logan and Kendall were his neighbors since forever; their families knew each other for a long time. Steve joined the picture in middle school, then later came Wayne, who went to law school with Logan. Then Lucy right after they all graduated and Stephanie six years ago. If I was James and I had a secret, I'd go to any of them with it." He sighed; "But we have a problem, Carlos. All of them are families of business men, rich people. People who are above us, except Wayne. If we follow thorough with the investigation, this won't end well. One of them is the mayor's son, for God's sake!"

"Let's see." Carlos mumbled to himself as he looked through the photos, stopping at one in particular. One of a black-haired man, a bit tan.

"You knew, didn't you?"

"Knew what?" Carlos asked, still looking through the now-familiar faces.

"That James knew Steve Jacobs." Jett answered; "That's why you wanted the case so bad."

"It doesn't matter." Carlos shrugged, not able to see eye to eye with Jett; "What matters is finding Wayne and his reason for running."

Jett sighed; "You know I don't like it when you change the subject like that." He ran a hand through his hair and said; "We got the camp manager when we went to the camp, he had blood tests done. He's clean, so was James."

Carlos nodded; "They smart and careful; distributing without consuming." He continued flipping through the photos; "I want you to find out what Jeffery Diamond is up to; I want to talk to him here."

Jett nodded in turn and stood up; "I'll see what I can do."

Jett left the office as Carlos fished his phone out of his pocket, holding a picture of Logan, Jo and Kendall. Kendall had jumped on Logan's back; tickling the lawyer, trying to drag him down to the ground while Jo stood to the side, hand over her mouth to cover her amused grin.

He found the contact he was looking for on the list and dialed his number.

"Kendall, I would like to see you today, please..."

* * *

Wayne crept into Logan's room, careful not to wake up the light sleeper in the bed. He smirked as he reached the bed, kneeling by it and pressing his thumb and forefinger against Logan's nose, cutting off the latter's air supply.

Logan jolted up in his bed instantly, a little disoriented. When he grasped what just happened; he threw his pillow at Wayne, who ducked it successfully, laughing.

Logan couldn't hold the angry face for long, his face breaking into an easy grin; "You need to stop doing that."

"Sorry!" Wayne's voice came out as more of a squeak through the laughing, "It's just, I've been doing it for so long already; why the hell stop now?"

Logan chuckled as he rested his head on the head bored, "You're seriously one of the worst people I've ever had the displeasure or befriending." He stretched and yawned; "Got any sleep?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you tell me about the Stone/Evans ordeal?"

The sudden change of topic caught Wayne off guard as he dropped at the end of the bed; "I don't know." He stated simply; "Maybe because you would've convinced James and I not to get in on it; but I wan-needed this to work."

"And you two did it." Logan said; "One of you is dead and the other wanted." He scoffed; "Now, how do you feel, Wayne, with the cops on your ass?"

"It's okay." He replied; "It's my fate, I'll bite."

"You've been planning this since you were going out with Lucy, after Steve fled." Logan said and shook his head; "I still don't see whatever she saw in you." He chuckled to hide the sadness in his voice; "Seriously; what could you have offered that I couldn't? You've always been selfish and greedy; only thinking of you. And now Lucy is in a coma because of you and James."

* * *

_Stephanie dreaded this._

She was dreading her visit to Lucy since the accident. It wasn't that she hated Lucy; on the contrary, she loved her dearly. Despite their differences, Stephanie never hated Lucy for who she'd become. She lived on a prayer that Lucy might return to the wonderful lady she once was, opposite to the spoiled brat she was now.

She walked into Lucy's room after she registered her name at the nurses' station. She wasn't prepared for the sight awaiting her. Lucy's head was all wrapped up; having undergone through two surgeries. There were faded bruises on her face and arm from the motorcycle fall, her body looked so small and vulnerable while she was hooked to all those medical machines that surrounded her, devices that Stephanie couldn't name to save her life.

She stood at the end of the bed, looking at her best friend in sympathy, then she remembered the night Lucy introduced everyone to her.

* * *

**About Six Years Ago; July 2006.**

"Hey, give me that." Lucy said as she slumped down on the bed next to Stephanie, snatching the book the latter was reading. I was a little after Lucy came back from the coffee shop, Stephanie didn't even try to ask how it went down with the twins and Kendall; "So, do you like him?"

"We didn't get to talk much at all," Stephanie shrugged; "Your other friend sort of crashed and I left."

"Hey, just... Stay away from Steve; he's beyond crazy." Lucy smiled; "Now, tell me what you think of James."

Stephanie chuckled at the eagerness in Lucy's voice; "Maybe we should try this speed dating thing, get you a hubby; like James suggested." She joked.

"Old fashioned." Lucy snickered; "None of them is actually ready to take something as serious as marriage up."

"Even James?"

"No. James and Logan are something else." She answered; "James and Logan are the kind of guys you'd want to bring home. Steve and Wayne aren't. And while Kendall isn't the exactly a ray of sunshine, he's a good guy." Her eyes twinkled; "And you seem just like James's kind of girl!"

"Really?" Stephanie couldn't hide the giddy smile on her face. When Lucy smirked and nodded, Stephanie looked down, trying in vain to hide the blush on her face. "Okay." She paused as her face restored color then turned back to Lucy; "What about you? What do you want?"

"Me?" Lucy smiled a sad smile; "You know, everyday I dream of meeting someone else; someone who's not one of those guys. Someone worth changing for."

"I thought you said Logan was a good guy..."

"Logan is...amazing." Lucy replied; "Honestly, great family, good money, smart, funny and has a bright future that awaits him. He's also ridiculously good looking." She shook her head; "But it's Logan. On paper, he's a total catch. But he's just... Logan. The guy I'd expect to save me when I'm in trouble, not the one I'd make love to every night. And besides; I'll ruin him."

"But is he worth changing for?"

"Yes." Lucy answered firmly, without hesitation; "But I know me, and I know Logan. I'll hurt him and he'd hate me. I don't want to lose him as a brother when I know I can't give him what he'd want in a relationship; honesty." She paused; "I don't care who my guy is, how he looks or even his social status." She looked down, her voice breaking; "I just want him to love me, love Lucy." Her voice came out in a soft whisper as she added; "Not Lucy _Stone_."

She looked back to Stephanie, her eyes showing no emotion as she opened her cigarettes pack and shoved one into her mouth, grabbing the lighter.

* * *

**Present Time.**

"Hello, Stephanie."

Stephanie was snapped back into reality when she heard the voice, she turned around to find Edward Stone himself behind her.

She noted the man looked miserable, and way older than his actual age. The fifty-something year old looked at least seventy.

_Dare she say, she actually sympathized the man?_

"Hey, Uncle Edward;" She said softly as she embraced the older man she hadn't seen in months; "How are holding up?"

"I'm doing...okay..." He trailed off as he sighed; "Lucy is..." He trailed off again as tears blinded his vision and he chocked onto them.

"I know. I know." She soothed as she rubbed his back. She pulled away from the hug; "She'll get well soon enough. It'll all going to be funny."

He nodded as he tried to blink away his tears; then tried to change the subject; "Tell me, Stephanie, what do you know about the whole cocaine thing?"

"I know nothing." She responded reluctantly; "What I know for sure though, is that James had nothing to do with it."

"Ahmm," He played with his dead wife's wedding band as he continued; "And Wayne?"

Stephanie was silent for a moment; "I don't know, Uncle Ed." She shook her head; "I don't want to accuse anybody falsely and I ha-"

"Do you know where he is?" The old man cut her off. When she looked at him weirdly, his expression softened and he rushed out; "Do you know what I'll do if anybody hurt Lucy? Put yourself in my shoes! I'm a father!"

She nodded; "I know, I know how you're feeling." Her gaze shifted to Lucy's sleeping form; "But don't worry, none of us would ever hurt her." She turned back to Edward; "I'm sorry, Uncle Ed, but I have to go."

He nodded; "Of course, Stephanie." He smiled; "Just visit me when you have time. I'm all alone now."

"Hey." She started; "Lucy is not dead." She told him urgently; "She won't die."

Edward watched Stephanie leave the room, he walked to Lucy's bed and knelt by it. He held her hand delicately in his and planted a soft kiss on her it.

* * *

And that's it for this chapter. Another crappy filler; my apologies.

Please Review? :)

-J


	7. Chapter 7

So I'm alive, thank God. Hello everyone! Missed you all!

Brace yourselves for a rushed chapter ahead, took like two hours tops. It didn't meet my expectations and I don't think it'll meet yours.

WARNING; a lot of Kendall ahead.

Speaking of that dickhead, I started to like him. But then he had to get back with Jo and while he was funny, he's with JO! I still think Lucy would've balanced that creep out.

Enjoy anyway :)

* * *

Brooke didn't know how long have she been sitting in her living room, staring at James's collection of framed pictures. James had taken it to himself to capture every moment he thought was worth capturing. She'd traced her favorite photos with the tips of her figures; the first was one of Logan, Kendall, Steve and James on their high school graduation ceremony. All four guys were clad in black pants, white shirts and red graduation gowns with white caps, they only differed in the color of necktie; Logan wore grey, Kendall wore pink, Steve wore yellow and James wore red. The second was of a twenty-something-year-old Logan holding a fifteen-year-old Dak on his shoulder, a small smirk on the older's face and a full blown grin on Dak's with James behind the camera.

She picked her final favorite, which was of James. He was smiling beautifully at the camera; just a simple pose that meant the world to her. James's arms were wrapped around someone, a girl most likely, but she was cropped out so Brooke never knew who she was.

She also knew why James had stopped framing pictures three years ago; it was when James had the huge fight with Jeffery when the land case was lost and it went to the 'government' that gave it back to Edward Stone. At that point, the ever-present argument over the money blew out of proportion and James moved out. He started the motorcycles' business with Steve's wife-ex wife; Stephanie King. He alternated between staying at Logan's and at Kendall's until he left Stephanie's business and entered the camp business.

That was when new trouble blossomed between the father and his son; when both Jeff and James figured out that the land was the same one that Edward took from Jeff.

To say that Brooke Diamond missed her son was the understatement of the year. The woman felt dead inside; like a huge part of her was broken unevenly and lost forever.

She didn't realize she had been crying until she heard the sound of the keys turning in the lock and the front door was being opened. She placed James's photo back on the table and wiped at her tears hurriedly just as Dak pushed his way into the living room.

"Hey, mamma!" He said as he dumped his backpack by the door, and walked towards the couch; dropping next to his mother and kissed her temple.

Brooke nodded; her voice coming out strained as she said; "You're probably hungry. Come on; I'll fix you something..." She trailed off and walked to the kitchen; Dak following but choosing to sit at the counter instead.

"Hey, is dad home?"

"No." She said as she got the pancakes' batter out of the fridge, the pan already resting on the counter, and turned to him; "He's out, trying to sell the motorcycle."

"What?" Dak asked; "Selling the what?! You're kidding, right?!" Brooke sighed as she watched the pancakes intently, flipping them, trying not to get worked up; "How can you guys even think of that? It's the only thing James left! We'll have it repaired an-"

"What the hell do you want us to do with it?!" She snapped as she dumped the hot pancakes into a plate, stomping to the fridge to get the syrup; "Get it repaired and strap it to the freaking wall?!" She slammed the bottle onto the counter; "That thing killed your brother! Do you really want it here? Where it would be a constant reminder to everything that had happened?!"

Dak didn't respond. He just pushed away the plate slightly and crossed his arms, resting them on the counter and his chin found it's place between his arms. He looked at his place, tears evident in his eyes and his face full of agonizing pain; suddenly losing his appetite.

Brooke sighed; she couldn't figure out if her son was upset for his brother or with her. She rounded the counter and sat next to him, resting her hand on his own; "I'm sorry." It came out more as a half sob as she kept on; "Please don't be mad at me. I'm not really feeling good and I shouldn't have snapped; I'm sorry."

Dak nodded and turned to face her; "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have pushed. It's just that James..." He sighed and looked down again.

Brooke nodded and decided to change the subject; "So how's Jennifer?"

"Jennifer?"

"Yes; Jennifer." Brooke confirmed; "You're girlfriend of three years that you've been hiding from me and your father?" She chuckled; "Why are you so afraid of bringing her to meet us? We're nice people, you know."

"She's doing okay, I guess." He said; "It's just that... You know."

"What?" Brooke asked; "What's bothering you?"

"What's bothering me is her father. Her family in general." Dak answered; "Her father is a pretty well regarded plastic surgeon; he probably makes more money in a month than we make in an entire year." He looked down as the small smile on Brooke's face disappeared; "What kind of father would agree to let me date his daughter? I can't give her the social status he can. My dead brother is being charged for drug dealing. Why would he ever agree to let me date Jennifer?"

Brooke nodded; "Just keep the faith, Dak. I'll get better, I promise." She watched as he nodded slowly and stared into space; "There." She said and pulled the forgotten plate of pancakes towards him; "Eat."

Watching him munch down the pancakes; Brooke kept wondering if her promise would be broken.

* * *

"Kendall?"

Kendall looked up to see his secretary, who also happened to be his cousin and the only person who had his back in the company, since most workers hated him for being the boss's son.

"Yeah?" He returned his gaze to the laptop screen, back to the logo design he was working on.

"There's someone out here wanting to meet you. He says he called about the meeting; his name is Carlos Garcia."

"Let him in, Olivia."

A few seconds later, Carlos walked into Kendall's office, a bottle of water in his hand as always. Kendall stood up and shook hands with the DEA agent. He was kind of surprised at the smile that graced the latino's face; he'd never seen him in a good mood before.

"Nice office. Too Fancy." Carlos commented as he looked around and sat down; "Better than all of the offices on the DEA combined."

Kendall chuckled as he sat down; "It serves as a good front, first impressions and all. Comes with the job."

"You've been working for your father for a while?" Carlos asked as he sipped some water.

"Since I was still in college, actually."

"So, Kendall, do you mind telling me when you first met Jo?"

"Five years ago."

Carlos nodded; "True."

Kendall frowned; "She told you?"

"Maybe." The latino shrugged; "But I'd like to hear it from you."

Kendall studied Carlos for a second then sighed; figuring he had no other choice; "I was going out with James. Logan had been working late at Evans's office, Wayne was visiting 'family' and Steve was God knows where; so it was just the two of us..."

* * *

**Five Years Ago; April 2007.**

Kendall shifted in his car seat again as he glanced at his watch. He was parked by James's house and had been waiting for the latter to come already.

A few minutes later, James got into the car and slammed the door shut. He leaned his head back as Kendall scolded him playfully for being late.

"-nd you're not to let me wait all that time ever again..." Kendall trailed off, losing his joking demeanor; all the scolding forgotten as he noticed the stressed out expression James sported. "What's wrong?"

"Dad has officially lost it..."

Kendall's bushy eyebrows met in curiosity; "Anything new with the case?"

"Don't you guys get it?!" James snapped his head back and turned towards Kendall; "Nothing is ever new with the case! Nothing is ever going to happen. Not in our favor, anyway. How the hell does he expect to win a case against the government?! They run the fucking state! He's wasting his breathe, his time and our money for nothing. You're all delusional!"

"What did you expect him to do?!" Kendall snapped back; "He's worked his ass of his entire life and he invested all he's got into the land! Uncle Jeff is not only fighting for his land; he's fighting for his entire freaking life, Jay!"

"I didn't say he should give up!" James argued; "But he shouldn't be spending all his money on shitty lawyers who can't do shit! We're running out of money, Dak is still in high school and this is just wrong!"

Kendall looked around in frustration.

Being a partial member of the Diamonds family, as he was James's best friend since he was born, Kendall knew all about the case and all about the Diamonds. Jeffery Diamond's dream had been the same since Kendall can remember; buy a land by the ocean, built cabins and have people come from all over the state. He'd been saving all his life for it.

He did finally find the land he'd been looking for; the perfect one. But it belonged to Edward Stone, a local business man. Jeff bought it seven years ago and started the project. Unfortunately; his happiness didn't last for long. Edward wanted his land back and was willing to pay whatever Jeff pleased, but the latter didn't. So Edward, along with his lawyer and Logan's mentor; Lucas Evans, came up with a new plan.

The plan was simple; Edward had friends in the high low places, like every other business man. He had the mayor and his party press charges against Jeffery as he fabricated a contract between him and Edward to buy the land, while the land actually belonged to the government.

_Which, of course, it didn't_.

They all knew a case like this could stretch out for years, even though the results were granted.

James ended up taking Kendall to a place on the outskirts of Miami. About one mile outside Miami on the same road to James's future camp. It was a place James was, obviously, familiar with. The place adopted the camp idea in a different way. It consisted of three parts, a stable, a group of campfires regions and a huge closed tent, probably meant for parties. The place was called Begley's.

Sooner than later, Kendall found himself leaning against one of the horses tables, admiring a blonde girl sitting by one of the campfires from afar. James followed Kendall's gaze and chuckled as it landed on a certain Jo Taylor. James didn't know much about her, but he knew she was a kindergarten teacher in a good school and was a blogger. He was also told that she was harassed by the cops from time to time due to her tendencies to bash the current mayor and his ruling party.

"You like?"

Kendall snapped his gaze away from the other blonde and turned to James in astonishment; "Like what?"

"I know you know that you're busted." James grinned; "You like her, Jo? Come on, tell Jamie boy!"

Kendall blushed and turned to the blonde again; "Her name is Jo?"

"Yes, Jo Taylor." James confirmed; "She's single."

Kendall looked back to James, an almost giddy smile plastered on his face; "Introduce us?"

James chuckled and held out the crook of his hand, allowing Kendall to link their arms and dragged the shorter man towards Jo, who was sitting with one other guy. The guy was around their own age, it seemed to Kendall liked they've known each other for a while. They both looked up when he and James approached; smiles on their faces.

"Hey, James!" They chorused together.

"You're here to hang with us?" Jo joked, gesturing to Kendall; "Or just for Blondie?"

James chuckled; "I'm here to shove my Blondie down your throats, basically." James then literally shoved Kendall down on the floor on the other side of the guy, so the later was sitting between Kendall and Jo.

"Hey!" The guy called to James; "You're leaving?"

"Nope." James replied, popping the 'P'; "I'm afraid I won't be joining you for the campfire, though. I feel like riding a horse tonight." And in a second, James was out of their space, barely missing Kendall hissing his name.

"It seems that you two have been friends for a while." Jo said and chuckled; "Only best friends would embarrass each other like that."

Kendall nodded; "Since I was born."

Jo nodded and paused for a few seconds, studying Kendall's face; "Do I know you? Your face looks eerily familiar."

The guy sitting in between them chuckled awkwardly and stood up; "I'll see you guys later. I think I'll just join James for a ride."

Kendall watched the guy's retreating back and turned to Jo; "That's a good sign, right?"

"What's a good sign?"

Kendall shrugged; "That you feel familiar with me."

"Not necessarily." Jo replied; "Maybe I remember you because you almost ran me over before. Or maybe you'll make my life a living hell in the future."

Kendall chuckled; "I don't think it'd be intentional if it happened." He paused as the two of them laughed; "But why would you think I might make your life a living hell?"

"I don't think anything." She replied; "I don't know you."

"Oh..." Kendall looked away in disappointment at her lack of interest in him, also wondering where his smooth moves with girls had gone.

"But maybe I can get to know you right now."

Kendall perked up; "How so?"

Jo reached for his right hand, which was clasped tightly in his left and held it to her eyes; "I'm a pretty good palm reader." She ghosted her fingertips over the lines in his palm, looking at them intently; "You're super nice but you have trouble letting your feelings known. You'd rather bottle them up." She looked up at him, noticing his look of surprise. She chuckled; "That's not good, you know." Her gaze went back to his hand as she traced it with her fingers; "You're afraid of losing yourself to life, to the pressures you're being subjected to on regular bases." She shrugged; "Maybe you have a controlling boss or something; that's why you can't make on spot decisions. You make a right decision, just not immediately. You take your time thinking everything over." Kendall nodded. The frown and intent look that crossed her features in that moment though worried him.

"You okay?"

"Yes." She smiled and looked up at him; "But now I know why I felt like I knew you from somewhere."

"Why?"

"Because you and I are going to get married."

Smiling again, Jo collected her purse and left the other blonde looking at his palm in curiosity, with only one thought on his mind.

_She didn't even know his name._

* * *

**Present Time.**

"That's all." Kendall ended his story.

Carlos nodded as he stood up from his chair and walked to the fancy leather couch, dropping on it; "Go on."

Kendall got up from behind his desk and followed him to the couch; "There's nothing left. I went home that day determined to make her mine someday and it happened."

"Where's that place? Where you two first met."

"Same road to the camp, one mile outside Miami."

"Do you still go there?"

"No, not much." Kendall shook his head; "Not after Steve's accident; a few months after Jo and I got engaged."

Carlos sighed; "Did James go there after the accident?"

"I doubt it." The blonde replied; "James was deeply affected by the accident, he had a huge fight with Steve when he fled. Plus, if he did; at least either Logan would know or I would have known." Kendall's features shifted from calm and collected to fierce and defensive; "As he would've done with the cocaine. If he was into that, he would've told us." He sighed; "That's why I'd never believe it!"

"Let's not talk about that." Carlos chuckled; "James had a lot of friends, he kept a lot of them from you, guys. So why not keep away something as serious and wrong as dealing cocaine?"

"Hey!" Kendall objected; "We all know people outside of our circle! I can't call Logan and give him a status update of every detail in my life! He knows the important people; those who truly matter. But I won't tell him if I had to share a table with someone at Starbucks and we end up exchanging numbers. This is an indication of nothing!" He slammed his hand against the coffee table; "If James was a drug dealer, he would've told Logan and I. Maybe even Stephanie or Jo, but no one else!"

"Oh yeah?" Carlos retorted; "He would've casually walked up to you two and be all like 'What's up, brah! Guess what? I'm selling cocaine!'." He said sarcastically; "It's all going to come out sooner or later anyway." He paused; "Do you know where William Dooley is?"

"No." Kendall crossed his arms; "I have no idea of his whereabouts but Logan and I have been looking. We haven't found him yet."

"You don't know where he's at now." Carlos said; "But when you do; you'll inform me. This is an order, Kendall. If you're hiding him, it's considered a felony; I can put you behind bars." He chuckled; "I don't think you or even Logan can survive in jail; even with your bottoms up." He slapped Kendall's lap lightly as he stood up; "Excuse me, Mr. Knight."

Kendall followed the short latino with his eyes until he was out the door then sighed heavily.

* * *

Kendall shoved his hands in his pockets as he approached the local coffee shop. He was about to go inside when he spotted Logan on one of the tables outside.

"Why can't we sit inside with the cool air conditioning system instead of here?" Kendall asked as he slipped in the vacant seat, opposite Logan.

Logan watched as the waiter placed his coffee on the table, muttering a small thank you. He waited until Kendall placed his order then spoke; "You know I like the fresh air."

"Hey Loges," Kendall started; "That Carlos dude passed by my office today. He's onto my ass, I swear it!"

"Why are you so worried?" Logan sipped his coffee; "It's not like they've got anything on you." He paused as he studied Kendall, the latter shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Logan's eyes' widened; "Please tell me they've got nothing on you."

"They've got nothing." Kendall said; "It just feels weird, okay? I've never even been to a police station in my life and suddenly a DEA agent takes interest in every aspect of my life. He keeps popping out of no where." When Logan nodded and just sighed, Kendall furrowed his eyebrows; "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Logan ran a hand through his hair; "I'm just...really confused. I don't know who my friends are, or even if I ever had any. Especially after what happened with James and Wayne."

"You saw Wayne?"

Logan nodded; "He's staying at my place."

Kendall's eyes widened and his eyebrows disappeared in his hairline; "What? Staying at your place?! The entire state is looking for the guy!"

"Look," Logan said; "I just have a feeling he's hiding something."

"It's Wayne." Kendall chuckled; "He's always hiding something. But seriously, Logan; Carlos was all on how hiding Wayne would be a felony. Don't, man."

The waiter chose that exact moment to approach with Kendall's order. Placing the cup in front of the blonde; he nodded at Kendall's 'Thank you' and left.

"I know." Logan said; "But I also know what I'm doing, so don't sweat it." He asked; "Do you remember if Wayne met Lucy's father? When they were dating?"

"Of course yes, he did." Kendall answered; "But why are you bringing that up?"

"Because the land they built the camp on is Edward's. And since James didn't know until recently, Wayne must have known." When Kendall nodded, appearing not fazed with Logan's conclusion; he continued; "Which you already know, apparently..."

"I wasn't sure." Kendall relaxed back in his chair, cradling his drink in his hand; "But I had my doubts but when I asked James about it, he said he'll give it a shot. Then he said Wayne was in on it, that was when it all clicked."

"You knew before James." Logan shook his head and sighed; "Why am I always the last to know?"

"Why does it matter?" Kendall asked; "There's a DEA agent on my ass and my father is starting to ask about my whereabouts. He calls every hour like clockwork, like I'm fucking twelve, Logan!"

"What did you do to have Uncle Kenneth onto you so bad?"

"Nothing!" Kendall said; "He just found some weed and cigarettes in my office." He paused; "That won't get me in trouble, right?"

"While weed is still illegal," Logan explained; "Carlos won't go after you for it. He has more pressing matters in his hand, like cocaine. Compared to cocaine and heroin, weed is nothing."

"He asked where Jo and I first met..."

"And you told him at Begley's?!" Logan face-palmed; "Didn't I tell you the cops have their eyes on Begley's?" Logan sighed; "The only reason James went there was because Steve showed him the place. And Jo went with her friend, Travis; you're sound guy. Neither of them knew Begley's sold drugs. And neither did we when we started going!" He sighed again; "Come on, let's just go."

"I didn't even finish my coffee yet!" The blonde complained.

"Why are you avoiding your home?" Logan crossed his arms and smirked; "Avoiding Jo? Your one, true love?"

"Do you even believe in love?"

"Of course I do." His smirk ceased into a small grin; "I long for it, actually. We all do."

Kendall chuckled and teased the lawyer; "Hey, maybe you could date your intern. It'd be easy since she spends all her time at your place anyway."

"Don't even go there."

They both laughed, Logan smacking Kendall's arm across the table.

"So." Kendall started; "Are you going to visit Lucy in the hospital?"

"I..." Logan rested his head on his arm, which he kept on the arm rest; "I have no idea."

* * *

"I couldn't just not visit Lucy." Stephanie said as she leaned on Jo's kitchen counter.

Jo stared intently at the over, setting it to preheat; preparing to cook dinner; "Did you meet her father?"

"Yes, yes I did." She followed Jo with her eyes; "Poor man... I've never seen Edward so...broken. Devastated." She shook her head sympathetically; "And if you saw Lucy... So beaten and bruised. Lifeless." She sighed and rubbed her temple; "Oh God..." Jo nodded and wiped her hands off after she washed it. She walked to the counter, picking her cell phone up. "Who are you texting?"

Without glancing up from her phone, Jo answered; "Just Kendall. He's late."

Stephanie studied the blonde closely. "Are you two fighting?"

"No." Jo answered with a strained smile; "We're not."

The two have been friends long enough for Stephanie to have Jo all figured out, thus calling her out on her lie.

"So you just won't talk about it." Stephanie concluded; "Wait, that's why you called James? Because you wanted to talk to him about Kendall?"

"We're not fighting." Jo snapped and picked up the tray or whatever she prepared for dinner, shoving it in the pre-heated oven. "You'll never get it, okay." Jo said as she walked out of the kitchen, sitting next to Stephanie by the counter; "Everything between Kendall and I is...inside a bubble with everybody else on the outside. It almost feels like life is passing us by, while we have no idea what we're missing." She sighed; "I know you won't understand, but I always ask Kendall what we'd do in the future and he'd say something along the lines of 'why change at all, we have what everybody craves. A perfect life and we're comfortable with money' then he'd try to distract me and take me out to dinner..."

"What do you want him to do?" Stephanie chuckled; "Lock you up? He's being a perfect gentleman."

"You're missing the point." Jo answered; "I knew you wouldn't understand."

"Then make me understand, Jo!"

"I'm not like Kendall, okay?" Jo explained; "He's amazing, and I truly am in love with him. But I guess I'm more into the simpler life style. I'm more...plain than he is."

"I think you just lost your point." Stephanie blinked; "There's nothing wrong with having a partner who is different." She chuckled; "If anything, opposites attract. I bet the sex is mind blowing!"

"Stephanie!" Jo yelled as her face turned blood red; "I'm not losing my point; I'm proving it!" She argued; "I'm from a middle class family; the first thing I notice when I walk down the street is the homeless old man, wondering the streets; looking for a dumpster to crash in, envying everyone who has a final destination at night, a home. A dumpster, Steph! Kendall notices nothing, maybe just the cool car driven near by. He takes our life for granted, I just want him to take a look around; be aware of the blessing of something as simple as having a home. And not just that, he hadn't contacted any of you guys until the accident. It's been months since he even talked to James and Logan, his best friends. He needs to be aware of what's going around him before he loses it. Before he loses any of us like he lost James, before we lose him." Jo shook her head; "He needs to get out of the bubble."

Stephanie nodded, finally understanding Jo's fears; "He needs to get out of the bubble." She repeated.

Before they could discuss matters further, they heard the keys in the front door lock and watched as Kendall walked into his home, whistling some upbeat tune.

"Oh, Hey Steph." He greeted with a smile; "I wasn't aware we had a guest for dinner." He walked over to Jo and kissed her temple in a greeting of her own.

Stephanie chuckled; "Probably because you don't have a guest for dinner. I was just keeping Jo's company until her Mr. Busy-Man gets home." She picked her purse and her jacket; "And now that he finally did, I should be on my way."

"Nonsense!" Kendall argued; "You're already here, what's the point in leaving?"

"I'll take a rain-check."

* * *

A young man, around thirty, kept looking around in awe. He considered the place he was in as one of the fanciest apartments he'd ever stepped foot in.

The couch he was currently occupying probably cost more than his entire apartment.

"There." Wayne stated as he stepped into the living room, handing the young man a can of beer.

"Is this your house, sir?"

"No." Wayne answered as he sipped his own beer. "It's my brother's."

"So technically, it's yours too." The man smirked as he opened his beer; "You and your brother are one, right?"

Wayne chuckled; "Right, Tony." He studied the smirk on Tony's face before continuing; "And you're not to break into this apartment. Ever. This place is off limits."

Anthony's laugh echoed through the empty apartment; "Sure, boss. I stopped breaking in a while ago, I work for your father now. Which you already know." He sipped his bear and added; "That's why you're here, right? Safe place to hide from the cops?"

Wayne frowned and his eyebrows met; "How do you know they're after me?"

"They asked for you at your father's garage." Tony answered; "It's not hard to put two and two together when I watched the news and saw your friend died and was charged with cocaine possession."

Wayne sighed and nodded. He reached into his pocket; "This is my passport." He handed it to Tony with a meaningful look; "I'm leaving the states."

"If it wasn't you, I would've said I'm done with the dirty business for good." The young forger said as he pocketed the passport. "Why do you need a visa to Australia anyway; how long are you staying?"

"As long as I need to." Wayne as he leaned back on the couch.

"I got you the paper you asked for." Tony said as it was his turn to reach into his jeans pocket; "The name was Lucy Stone, right?"

Wayne nodded as he examined the paper; "Perfect." He commented and turned to look at Tony again as he shoved it in his pocket; "Thanks."

"Anything for the boss's son." Tony said as he sipped his beer.

Nodding, Wayne gulped down his own beer; "Good, now finish your beer and get going, my 'brother' is almost home..."

* * *

Not exactly a cliffy, but I don't think there would be cliffys. Not the type that would put you on the edge anyway. I probably should be making excuses for the lack of updates, but I don't like excuses for anything, I'll just apologize and suck it up. Sorry for the delay.

So, as Shattered goes on, a lot of mysteries are arisen. Who the hell is Tony? What's wrong with the place where Jo and Kendall first met? Does it have any connection to the case at hand?

Find all of that and more... Whenever I'm in the mood to update. :p

Please review!

And Krehpeh; PLEASE update!

See you all when I see you!

-J


	8. Chapter 8

So yeah, a KINDA fast update? Yes? No?

A lot of subplots are starting in this chapter (Or Continuing), almost ALL main characters are included. Except Kendall, I THINK. It wasn't intentional though, he'll be in almost every chapter from now on.

Anyway, enough rambling.

Enjoy!

* * *

Edward sighed in distress as he looked at the nurse. She was checking Lucy's vitals, making sure she wasn't brain dead. The doctor had said that Lucy had a long recovery journey from her surgery; there was also the risk of never waking up at all.

The knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts, he turned to the door to see Carlos Garcia push the door open. He watched as the latino smiled slightly to the nurse, holding the door open for her as she left.

"Good Morning, Mr. Stone."

Keeping his eyes on Lucy; Edward started; "Good morning, Mr. Garcia. Anything new?"

Carlos nodded; "We've postponed Lucy's statement concerning the case, due to obvious reasons. But that doesn't interfere with the investigation; it's still going." Carlos glanced at Lucy, noticing how Edward never averted his eyes off her; "Mr. Stone; I'd like to talk to you, preferably not here, if you may."

"Yeah." Edward said as he casted Lucy a last sympathetic look, before following Carlos outside.

They walked through the hospital's maze of hallways, through the surgical floor to the elevators. They stayed silent until they found themselves in the parking lot out side the hospital.

Walking beside Edward, Carlos said; "I know this is a hard time for you, Mr. Stone; that's why I opted we talk outside. Sorry if I'm taking a lot of your time."

"Well, Mr. Garcia; I don't feel the time anymore." The older man sighed; "It feels like it was just yesterday that Lucy was playing with her doll house with Stephanie, with my wife watching over them above the kitchen counter. But suddenly she grew up into this beautiful woman, while I noticed nothing." He stopped walking and shook his head; "Like somebody is punishing me for the time I wasted away from her."

Carlos found himself sympathizing with the man, despite suspecting him; "Do you have any idea who her friends were? The people she trusted?"

"I do, actually. Her friends from college and Stephanie; I used to see them around our home a lot. Lucy loves being around people all the time, she hated being alone; her friends were always surrounding her. She went out with them almost everyday." He looked at the people passing them by as a sad smile graced his lips; "Maybe because she was an only child, or that her mum died when she was only thirteen and I wasn't always there, so her friends became her life."

"And how did she meet James Diamond?"

"Our family has known Mayor Jacobs's family for over ten years, now. The Mayor's son, Steve, was a close friend of James's and two other guys. He introduced her to them." Edward continued; "I heard James was a troublemaker, but I know that his father; Mr. Jeffery Diamond; is that he's a very respectable man and well regarded in his field."

"Jeff Diamond. The same man the government fired and confiscated all his property?"

"And what exactly does that have to do with him being a respectable man?"

"Nothing." Carlos replied; "But someone who's family's conditions are that bad; he'd sure look for a thousand ways to bring in money for them and to at least, get back to the same level and status where they used to be." He smiled, challenging Edward; "Or what do you think?"

"I won't defend James and tell you that he was more mature than that." The old man said; "His dark history of trouble making with his friends, never going to college and all their failed business projects, all of those combined speak louder than I could ever do."

"Well, if they're such a group of failures, why did you let your only daughter mingle with them?" Carlos shot back. Edward looked at him sternly, glaring at him with all his might. Carlos didn't back down and continued; "You know William Dooley." It was more of a statement than a question to the business man.

"I think I've heard his name before from Lucille."

"Think?" Carlos repeated and chuckled; "Weird."

"What's so weird in what I'm saying, Mr. Garcia?"

"Oh, we just received some documents in the DEA." Carlos answered; "It had to do with organizing tours around Miami. What really caught my attention though, was the fact that William's camp is always there, on every program. And what's even weirder is that some tours are specifically made for the camp, all through your tourism company."

"Let me correct your information, Mr. Garcia." Edward smirked; "Of course, that tourism company is mine. But it's one of a lot I own; I can't keep up with all of them at the same time. I don't have the schedule for every tour the company organizes; but I can arrange a meeting so you could meet the company's manager. You can meet up with him and ask him all you please."

"Oh?" Carlos said and chuckled; "We don't want to bother you; your manager is the one who gave us those documents."

"And I told you all I know." Edward said, his face turning stony.

Carlos nodded, knowing he'd pushed the old man too far and that he was closing up. "Mr. Stone, I want you to remember if Lucy ever mentioned William to you; William is on the run and we're searching for him."

"Actually, Mr. Garcia;" Edward replied, crossing his arms; "I'm not of any help. My head is all messed up and I'm always distracted and currently, at this moment; I can't remember." He chuckled; "Sorry."

Carlos nodded; "One last thing; Lucy, of course had a personal laptop?"

"Of course."

"Can we take a look at it?"

"Well, Mr. Garcia; for you to do that; you have to have a warrant."

"I'm only taking your permission because I'm a decent person." Carlos chuckled; "I already have my warrant. I've been working for the DEA for eight years, Mr. Stone; don't you think I would've grasped that routine crap by now?" Edward gritted his teeth and didn't reply, causing the latino's smirk to widen; "Thanks for your time. Sorry to bother you."

Carlos extended his hand for the older man to shake, when Edward didn't take his hand, Carlos reached for it himself and shook it.

* * *

Stephanie took the stairs to her office two at a time, she was late and she was supposed to meet Gustavo Roque in her office. She noticed the big man as soon as she stepped into her office, she smiled when his eyes lit up.

"Stephanie!" The man greeted excitedly as he embraced the woman who was his best friend's daughter. "How's it going?"

"Hey, Uncle Gus." Stephanie ushered him to the comfortable couch, away from the formal desk. "It's going okay, considering the circumstances."

The man nodded and handed her a file; "There, all the taxes and the bills. All is paid and done." He handed her a couple of thousand dollars; "Those remained, the taxes weren't that much this month." He smiled as she threw the money over and it landed on her desk, never averting her eyes from the documents that were organized perfectly in the file. "You're just like your father, always on time paying; never late."

"May he rest in peace."

They were silent for a few minutes as Stephanie went over the documents in her hand, until Gustavo spoke.

"Stephanie?" He started; "I wanted to talk to you about something." He waited until she closed the file, tossing in to the coffee table that was between them. "There's this company that only imports cars. It was recently bought by some uh-" He stammered; "important people. Anyways; they want to get their cars out and start selling them already as they're losing much money with the cars locked up."

Stephanie chuckled at the idea; "Did they know James or what?" She joked.

"They did actually." Gustavo informed her; "Back when he was still in the business and he agreed; but then he left." He sighed; "Look, you know how your father and I were close. He told me to look out for you, Steph. I'm responsible for you."

Stephanie stared at him blankly; "What's with the worrying, Uncle Gus? What's going on?"

"I don't want you to worry." He said; "All they want to do is buy a share, so they could sell the cars and you'll work with the motorcycles as always."

"Of course not!" She replied; "You already know I don't need partners in this, it's handled perfectly. Both financially and technically."

"I would've said the same." The old man said; "But those people, Steph... You can't say no to them."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Stephanie exclaimed as she sat up straighter on the couch; "They're threatening me?!"

His eyes widened in panic; "No, no. Of course not. I just want you to meet them, hear the offer. If you like it, go for it and if it doesn't; the choice is all yours!" He paused as Stephanie thought about it; "So?"

"Just for you, Uncle Gus."

* * *

"Bitters, I want you to look at those documents closely and tell me if this is you signature or not."

"Yes." Bitters answered; "It's mine."

"Splendid." Lucas Evans commented as he turned away from the old man; "Those papers, your honor, are the copies to the approval documents of the Boltons' loan." He turned back to Bitters; "When you and the bank's committee approve of a loan; the manager approves; am I right?"

"Yes, sir." Bitters nodded; "The final decision is up to him."

"And in the Boltons' application for the loan, what happened exactly?"

"The application came with recommendations for the approval from the board." He replied; "The head of the board to be exact; that's why we looked into it with extra care."

"So you went to the manager to discuss the approval?"

"Not exactly, sir."

"Not exactly?" Lucas repeated; "What is that supposed to mean?" Bitters was about to answer when Lucas cut him off and turned to the judge; "Mr. Bitters here was supposed to go to his manager straight away, but instead of doing exactly that; he got greedy and kept the documents so the Boltons will have to bribe him." Lucas's voice kept getting higher the more he spoke; "The result, of course, was that he got the money and approved on the loan anyway; forgetting to go back to his boss about it! What wrong did the Boltons make? It was all the fault of a greedy, reckless and irresponsible employee! This is not the Bolton's fault anymore; this is a case of professional corruption."

"Objection, your honor." Logan called as he sprang up from his seat.

"Objection accepted; go ahead." The judge allowed him to speak.

"This is not a case of professional corruption, no." Logan said; "It's the corruption of an entire system and-"

Lucas cut Logan off, "Objection; Mr. Mitchell keeps getting off topic and drifting to the system issues. Can't he just let go of those ideas of the system's failure and politics and focus on the case at hand? I want to do my job here."

"Accepted;" The judge said and turned to Logan; "Please Mr. Mitchell, of you have anything to say concerning the case, make it known. Otherwise..." He trailed off and waited for Logan.

"Excuse me, your honor," Logan said as he sighed; "Mr. Evans was my mentor; my teacher. I worked in his office, under his supervision and he taught me a lot." He smirked; "He taught me not to turn my back when I know someone is being...framed. Pushed to do something because they can't say anything or the people above them would crush them under their fancy shoes; exactly like Mr. Bitter. He was forced by his own boss to sign the documents because if he didn't; he would've lost his job, the only thing keeping his house going. His only fault was that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, fell into the trap of those powerful, greedy people who know nothing of conscience; just money." Logan shook his head; "It's all about the money." He turned to Lucas; "Am I wrong, sir?"

"No, no." Lucas replied as he gritted his teeth, whispering; "I taught you nothing of that to begin with."

"Mr. Mitchell, please get to the point." The judge urged.

Logan nodded; "Let's assume Bitters was really the one who signed, deliberately, on the loan documents and that he was the bad man in here, wouldn't Matthew Bolton have called him and told them they were fleeing?" Logan walked around as he spoke; "And if we take a look at the local news papers since the case opened; we'll see that Bitters's name didn't even come up until the Boltons have already left for London. They were already there with the money that they took!"

"Mr. Mitchell;" Lucas interrupted; "Bitters's signature is on all the papers. It's over."

"He was obligated to sign by his own boss, who didn't want to take the fall if this was ever discovered." Logan answered; "You didn't give Mr. Bitters the chance to talk. If you did, he would've told you that the application had no guarantees that the Boltons would have any source to pay back the money and no project to invest in so they could get money, so the loan was rejected." Logan sighed; "This whole case is because of the...career food chain, metaphorically speaking. If the manager ordered Mr. Bitters to sign, he has no choice but to sign or he loses his job; simple as that. He had two choices, the best of them is bad." Logan chuckled; "Let's say the mayor called the manager himself, told him that he'll send a document and wanted his signature on it as soon as possible; the manager would be crazy not to sign. He wouldn't even think twice or ask questions; he will sign right away." He turned to Lucas, who was gritting his teeth in annoyance, and he chuckled; "Wouldn't you sign?"

Soon enough, the court was dismissed, the judge and the jury agreed to postpone the case even further. Logan walked out of the courtroom with Camille by his side.

"That was one hell of a speech!" She congratulated him excitedly; "There's just no way Evans would win this case."

Logan smirked; "Keep boosting my ego like that and I'll go crazy."

"I'm not boosting your ego." She argued; "But the judge will be the crazy one not to find Bitters innocent."

"Judge will be crazy?" Logan repeated in astonishment; "Are you sure you want to be a lawyer? You're kind of blunt and will probably be arrested inside the court for bashing the judge and the jury."

Camille chuckled; "At least I'm fighting on the right side of the courtroom."

Logan was about to comment when Lucas approached him; "Logan, my boy!"

"Mr. Evans." Logan greeted.

"Why don't you stop by my office today?" Lucas asked; "We should talk."

Logan frowned; "What's there to talk about?"

"I haven't talked to my favorite student in forever;" The older man said; more perky than usual; "We should catch up. I'll be waiting." Not giving Logan a chance to decline, he turned to Camille; "I'll see you again, beautiful."

Logan followed his ex-mentor with his eyes, wondering why he wanted to see him, and then turned back to Camille. When he found her looking at him weirdly, he tried to take her mind off the fact that he's meeting Evans today; "Who's he calling beautiful? Is he blind?" He smiled to show the younger lawyer-in-training that he was just joking.

Slapping his chest lightly, Camille motioned for him to follow her as she walked towards the exit silently.

"You're not the boss of me." Logan muttered and smiled as he followed her out.

* * *

"How did you do in that pop quiz?" Jennifer asked as she slumped down next to Dak on one of the benches on campus.

"Okay." Dak replied, never taking his eyes of the biology book in his lap; "I'll do better in a test that's actually worth a grade."

Jennifer studied Dak for a few seconds; "Dak, what's wrong?"

Finally looking at her, Dak answered; "What's wrong with me?" He looked down at himself then up again; " I'm perfectly fine."

"It's not how you look," She replied; "Since when do you skip classes?" She paused; "Plus, you don't look like you did okay in the quiz."

Dak sighed; "I haven't actually studied anything in a week." He confessed; "I can't seem to focus and James's death got us all badly." He sighed again; "Nobody knows what might happen tomorrow, or what might come up."

"Do you think James would've been happy that you're not studying if he was still here?"

"If he was still here, none of this would've happened." He replied; "His death is the reason for all this."

"And why wouldn't this accident be for the better?" Jennifer asked; "Everything happens for a reason, Dak. And maybe James died so you can take control for a bit, help your parents. James made it his life goal to work his ass off so you wouldn't have to get involved with the bills and having to work a part-time job while juggling your studies. Maybe he died so you can learn to take responsibilities. Why don't you do like him? Why don't you get a job and work for your own good?"

"Work as what?" Dak asked sarcastically; "A dealer? Like him?"

Jennifer looked at him in surprise; "Do you actually believe that James was a dealer?"

"Does it even matter anymore?" Dak asked, rhetorically; "It's my fault anyway, I shouldn't have gone to college in the first place, I should've worked and helped him so he wouldn't resort to anything illegal."

"He wanted you to go to college to have a better life." Jennifer reasoned; "And you can't think that you're free, doing whatever the crap you want to do. The people who love you have a say in your life."

"Nobody has a say in my life and my decisions!" Dak snapped. "The only one who used to give me advices, to guide me, is dead." He shook his head; "Nobody else has a say in my life."

"There's your parents. Your friends."

"Friends?" Dak chuckled bitterly; "You know, Jenny, I actually miss this word a lot." He said, a sad smile on his face; "I never had any friends. I don't really go out, or even hang out with anybody. None of that." He looked down at his feet, looking as vulnerable as a twelve year-old on his first day in a new school; "That's all what friends get together for these days." He cleared his throat, looking at her again; "Anyways, don't listen to my crap. I'm just a little bit out of it, sorry."

He kissed her temple and got up, ready to leave, but Jennifer caught his arm and called his name; "I want to tell you something." When he nodded and waited, she continued; "I'm not trying to have a say in your life, even though I do love you, I just don't want you to forget your goal. What you want in life. What James wanted in your life."

"I'd never forget that." Dak said; "And I'm ready to do what it takes, and give my all to get to where I want to be. But I'm afraid that when I actually get there, I'll find out I've been reaching for... a mirage... something that wasn't there to begin with. And this person I might reach, might not be the one I should be looking for."

"When we were in high school, we studied that the mirage is a result of the total internal reflection coming from the light ray, resulting in the difference between the temperature of the air layers. The mirage is a reflection for something that exists, Dak, you just have to search for it." Jennifer explained; "And never set your goal in life to be person. Never. Go for what's best for you and people, including that person, will come to you." Dak smiled at her and nodded; "By the way, I wrote the notes for the classes you missed. I forgot them at home though. If you're skipping today too, I could take the notes and you could pass by tonight and get them, alright?"

"Sure. Thank you."

* * *

Antonio Bledsoe slid under the elevated car, working on it. Being a mechanic was kind of new to him, but being a 'retired' forger at twenty-five helped him pick up the work quickly. Tony has taken up his father's job as a forger when he was barely fifteen; he got caught at twenty-one and spent two years in jail. When he came out, he opted to start a clean slate and applied to work for Chad Andrews.

Chad Andrews was a racer; he knew everything there was to know about cars. But when he got to old, he opened up a garage that dealt with only racing cars and motorcycles. When he first joined Andrews's team of mechanics, who Andrews taught himself, it was around the time Andrews finally accepted his oldest son.

Andrews got a girl pregnant at seventeen, but he rejected his son and refused to have anything to do with him. The girl herself got kicked out of her own home and had to work to support her baby and it wasn't until Andrews was forty-seven that he crossed paths again with the baby's mama. Overwhelmed with guilt, the rich mechanic finally accepted his son.

His son that was no one other than William 'Wayne' Dooley himself.

So watching Wayne walk into the huge garage wasn't a surprise.

While Wayne wasn't exactly happy with the man who abandoned him for thirty years, it didn't change the fact that he was his father, after all.

When and when Andrews accepted Wayne, the very next day Wayne dragged Logan and James and introduced them to his father as his best friends. It never crossed his mind to introduce them to his mother, who raised him up and who Andrews bought a huge apartment to live in, but he had a father now. It all changed. The only condition Chad Andrews had been that Wayne was to not take his name or call him dad.

Wayne smiled slightly and waved at Tony, then continued his way over to the back, where Andrews's office was located. He walked in to find his father having a coughing fit, doubled over in pain.

"Isn't it time for you to stay at home and let some else look after the garage?" Wayne asked as he leaned against the door frame.

Andrews smiled as he gestured for Wayne to come in; "Well, you refused to and my girls can't exactly take over the garage." He chuckled; "It'll blow."

"Chad, you're not getting any younger." Wayne reasoned; "And your cancer won't get better on its own."

Andrews smiled got strained as he struggled to change the subject; "Where have you been? You didn't stop by in a couple of months."

"I was in the camp. I lived there."

"Why are the cops after you, Wayne?" Andrews asked; "What did you do?"

"Don't worry." Wayne told him; "I didn't do anything, I have nothing to do with all that." He smiled; "What about you? How are you doing?"

"I'm okay." Andrews replied; "They've been saying I have a few months to live for years now, but I'm still here anyway."

"You're not going anyway until I get back." Wayne warned him, jokingly; "I haven't had enough of you yet."

"Get back?" The father repeated; "Where are you going?"

"Any where but here." He answered; "I can't stay in here, they'll frame me, they'll make me take the fall for something I have nothing to do with. I can't have that happen, I just can't."

"What happened?"

"It's my bad luck." Wayne chuckled; "It's always my bad luck.

"Running away is not the answer to anything, son." Andrews told him; "I ran away from a lot of things I did in my youth, you included. I'd give anything to go back in time, to marry your mother, and take you in. I don't know what the story is, or why the cops are after you. But I believe you when you say that you had nothing to do with it, and I don't want you to ever step over somebody's right to save your ass. Don't do what I did before." He coughed; "So tell me, Wayne, if you ran away, will you regret it twenty years from now?"

* * *

Jo walked into what she thought would be an empty teachers' lounge. She did a double take at the man who sat by her desk, waiting patiently.

"Good morning." The greeting came across more as a question from Jo.

The man sprang up in his seat and shook her hand; "Good morning! Are you...Mrs. Knight?"

"Precisely." Jo answered as she sat on her chair behind the desk; "Can I help you?"

"I'm Jenna's father." The man told her; "Jenna? Jenna Slavinski. I'm Mark Slavinski."

"Oh, Mr. Slavinski, of course." She mentally slapped herself; "I'm Jo Knight, her teacher."

Mark nodded; "I saw Jenna's book, the note you left for me to come and discuss something about Jenna." He paused; "Is Jenna doing okay? Is she having trouble at school? I'll work with her so she could get better, I swear!"

"Mr. Slavinksi, Jenna is doing perfect in school." She sighed; "I actually wanted to meet both of her parents. I said so in the note."

"Actually, her mother is very busy." Mark told her; "She refused to come."

"Too busy to talk Jenna's well-being for ten minutes?" When the man looked down in conflict, Jo realized her mistake; "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. It's none of my business and I shouldn't have..." She sighed; "It's just that I've been noticing weird behavior from Jenna towards her peers and the teachers, that's what made me say that. My apologies."

"Jenna's weird behavior?" He questioned.

"She drew something;" Jo said as she fished the paper from one of the books on her desk; "You know, how kids this young use drawing as a let-out of their feeling?" When he nodded, she continued, handing him the drawing; "This is Jenna's. The details of the drawing itself got me worried about what might be happening at home; she drew about how you and her mother will go back to each other when she dies. It's not everyday you find a suicidal eight-year-old." She observed the man as he observed the stick-figures, he had a hand covering his mouth, his eyes filled to the brim with tears that refused to spill; "Do you have any explanation for this?"

"I am as weirded out as you are, Mrs. Knight." Mark told her; "I just don't understand how she might think that way."

"Are you and Jenna's mother separated?" Jo asked.

"Yes, for a couple of months now."

Jo could tell Slavinski was uncomfortable to share his private life with his daughter's teacher, but she sensed the fact that he was willing to do anything for his child; "I'm sorry to push, but before the separation; was Jenna present in any... disagreement? Saw it or heard it?"

"I don't really know how to say this..." Mark ran a hand down his face; "But what I can tell you, is that if it was up to me; I would've chosen another woman as Jenna's mother. I'm very sorry to say it, believe me, but Jenna's mother changed after the marriage; she wasn't the same woman I loved anymore." He sighed; "I'm terribly sorry to bother you with this, but I promise that I'll talk to Jenna and try to figure out the reason for her to think this way." He looked at her hopefully; "But if I need any help, allow me to ask for yours?"

"Of course;" Jo nodded; "I'm not only here to teach a subject for the kids, I try as hard as I can to treat them equally as my own. It's never only about education."

"Thank you very much." Mark stood up and pointed to his daughter's drawing; "Can I?" Jo nodded; "Thank you, Mrs. Knight. Umm, excuse me."

She watched the man's retreating back and rested her head on her hand, letting out a long sigh.

* * *

"So you had this case going and you didn't provide much for the family; which could have pushed James into dealing so he can provide by any means possible?"

"I raised my kids right, Mr. Garcia." Jeff told him; "I can assure you that James did no such thing as deal cocaine."

Carlos nodded. He was sitting in his office, talking to Jeffery Diamond. "Tell me about that case, Mr. Diamond, please."

Jeff nodded; "I bought this land years ago, back when I had money. I planned the whole thing, I designed the camp I wanted to build, I got my official documents signed and my bank loan approved. It was perfect. We already started working and building, but the government soon claimed that this land wasn't for sale, they accused me of forging every single document concerning the land." He sighed; "The case went on for years and I hired a lot of lawyers, I lost all my money, all my savings. But I managed to pay back the bank loan, but we were bankrupt. Then all my other properties were confiscated."

"And then what happened?" Carlos asked as he leaned in, listening carefully.

"A few months after the case was closed; I found out the business man, the one I bought the land from, actually got it back."

"Who's that man?"

Jeff sighed; "Edward Stone."

Carlos knitted his eyebrows; "They why did you tell me you didn't know Lucy when I asked you before?"

"I don't know Lucy." Jeff confirmed; "I mean, I know she's Edward's, and I know she's James's friend, sort of. But I've never met her in my entire life."

Carlos frowned.

_This case was far more complicated than he thought._

* * *

"Let him in." Lucas Evans said into the mouths piece to his secretary. He turned to the door and waited for his visitor.

Logan soon walked in, but instead of heading to sit by the fancy desk, he walked straight to the couch. He had changed from the formal suit into a more comfortable jeans and t-shirt, throwing on a leather jacket on top. He sat down; resting the helmet he had in his hand on the coffee table.

Lucas chuckled and walked to the couch himself.

"The place hasn't changed at all." Logan commented; "You painted; but it's the same."

Lucas nodded; "You know what I really like about you, Logan?" At Logan's raised eyebrows; he continued; "That we think in the same exact way, I got what you were trying to imply in court today. About me teaching you everything you know."

"I wasn't implying anything." Logan crossed his legs; "I wasn't drawing any parallels to the case, Boss."

"I have a proposition for you."

"I'm all ears."

Lucas chuckled; "I know you're smart, from the first day I saw you at law school. Everyday since then; you proved to me that you were going to be a brilliant lawyer. You proved that today" He smiled; "Without beating around the bushes, I want you to come work for me, again."

"It won't work." Logan told him; "We fight for different teams now."

"Do you really think that life will get better when those rich assholes are behind bars?" Lucas asked; "That's no where near right, those have control over both of us, and everybody else."

"I heard all that before," The younger lawyer chuckles bitterly; "And I defended a lot of you 'rich assholes' and freed all of them. Not my brightest years; And I'm not going back to that."

"Well then, let's go back to the case at hand, shall we?" He smiled; "How much do you want for leaving this case?"

"Three millions." Logan said. "The bank loan the Boltons took was one hundred millions, three isn't exactly a lot. By the way, who the hell needs one hundred millions?"

"Isn't it a bit too much?"

"It's Bitters's." He answered sarcastically; "The man who will serve about three years in jail. A million for every year."

"Leave the case, Logan." Lucas told him; "Nobody will get to the Boltons, anyway, and nobody will take the fall but Bitters." He chuckled; "Plus, of course, the fact that no one will hire you again."

"Look, if you proved the Boltons were innocent, I'll be the first one to give you a standing ovation. But using law, boss, not with bribes." He chuckled; "If you used money, so help me god I'll be after you in every single case you handle. I'll be your worst nightmare." He sighed; "Until I pay for those cases I won illegally while working for you."

Lucas pressed his lips in a tight line; "That's the last you've got, Logan?"

"Oh, hell no. There's so much more. But it'll be said in the court of law, Boss. Our playing field." Logan picked his helmet and stood up, walking towards the door; "I'll see you, Boss."

Lucas stared at the door, gritting his teeth and promising himself to crush Logan and win this case.

_No matter what it takes._

* * *

"There you go;" Jennifer handed Dak a stack of papers; "I photocopied them so you wouldn't have to write all of that yourself."

"Thank you" Dak replied as he looked over the papers.

A car pulled into the driveway and both of them turned to see Jennifer's father kill the engine and step out of the car.

"Hey you two." He greeted; "Dak, how are you holding up?"

"I'm doing just fine, sir." Dak told him; "I was just leaving."

"Wait, I'll drive you."

Dak tried to decline but the older man wouldn't budge and it turned out to be the most awkward car ride Dak had ever gotten in his life. When the man pulled over at Daks house, Dak thanked him and was about to exit the car when he stopped him.

"You know Jennifer is my only child, right?"

"Yes."

The old man nodded; "You should focus on your studied; figure out what ahead of you in life." He sighed; "You know what? Screw this, I'm not going to make up a speech and try to break it down for you easily. Look, Dak; I can't let Jennifer date you anymore. You two are still young and inexperienced and probably don't even know what you're doing. A-and with the incidents surrounding your brother's death; I'd rather not be associated to you, and that applied for Jennifer too. You know I really like you, Dak. But it's just...not worth it."

Dak fiddled with the papers he was holding, sighing in resignation; "The message is loud and clear, sir. I got it."

* * *

Wayne frowned as he knocked on the door, frowning at his key-chain and wondering why the key to his mother's home wouldn't open the door. His frown deepened as he heard the faint music through the door. It wasn't too loud, but his mother was never a fan of music.

The door opened eventually and a young man in his mid-twenties opened the door.

"Can I help you?"

"Isn't this Amanda Dooley's?" When the man nodded; Wayne pushed his way passed him and into the huge apartment. The guy was hot on his tail, trying to stop him. He spotted his mother in the middle of the sea of people flooding his home, he marched over to her.

"Oh, baby!" Amanda smiled she noticed her son; "I missed you so much!" She hugged him.

"Who the hell is this guy?" The man who opened the door for Wayne asked; "What the hell is he doing here?"

"Who the hell are you?!" Wayne shouted as he shoved the guy.

The guy was about to shove back but Amanda stood between the two of them; "Calm down, Wayne." She turned to the other man; "That's my son."

The twenty-something year old chuckled; "Your son?" He turned to Wayne; "She your mother?"

Wayne nodded; "Now, who the hell are you?"

The man smirked in return.

"I'm your stepfather."

* * *

See? I CAN go through a chapter without a flashback!

So yeah, a lot of subplots up there, hope you guys are not confused with all the characters and OCs. I'm trying to keep them to a minimum, but I need a lot of characters in here. Anyway, MOST of the characters are here for one or two scenes or to serve a certain subplot.

Tell me what you think of EVERYTHING ;)

-J


	9. Chapter 9

*Waves Awkwardly* Hi. I know I didn't update for fifteen days, and I'm sorry. BUT I do have big new…that are not concerning the story. You guys are officially talking to an Ivy League university student! I'm honestly too excited for my own good!

Anyway; the updates will be going back to regular, hopefully, ONCE I get settled in my new apartment.

ENJOY!

* * *

"Stepfather?!" Wayne turned to his mother; "Stepfather?! What the hell is he talking about, mum?!"

"Wayne, stop yelling." His mother hissed and grabbed his hand, pulling him into another room; "What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?" Wayne raised his eyebrow; "What's wrong with you?!"

"I got married!" She exclaimed; "But nothing has changed; this is my home."

"It's not yours." Wayne retorted; "Chad bought it for US to live in. For US not YOU!"

"Why wouldn't I get married?" She asked; "You don't live with me anymore; you don't even call. I had no one in my life for months!"

"And now I did, I'm here. And I wish I wasn't." He shook his head; "You're married to...an infant! He's younger than me, mum!"

"Can you just listen?" She sighed; "You of all people should know what I've been through. I've deprived myself from everything to provide you with everything. And yet, you graduated law school only to not work in the field. To start on a failing business after another, you even left Chad's job in the garage. And you left me; I was alone." She sighed; "When your dad accepted you, I was the happiest I've ever been. But you started to drift away from me a little bit at a time and you weren't there anymore. For twenty-five years you were everything I've ever had and suddenly; you were gone." Amanda held his hand; "I'm just living the days I never got to. So let me, please."

Wayne nodded; "Do as you wish." He looked around, refusing to look at her; "Bye." He moved to stand up, but Amanda held onto his hand.

"Are you going to stop by soon?"

"Of course I'm going to." He kneeled down and kissed the back of her hand; "You are my mother, no matter what."

* * *

Carlos strutted into the DEA building the next day. On his way to his office, he stopped the bus boy and asked him to find Jett and send him to his office.

He entered his office, taking off his jacket. He threw it on the coat hanger in the corner and walked to his desk, finding the daily newspaper, as always, on it.

He opened the folded paper, only to frown at the news on the first page.

"Death Of A Cocaine Dealer Just Outside Miami." He sighed; "How did that get leaked?" There was a knock on the door and he called out "Come in."

Jett walked in, closing the door behind him; "You read the news today?"

"Yeah, I just did." He chuckled; "First page, how prestigious."

"Yep." Jett muttered as he slumped down on the couch.

"They didn't mention anything about Lucy or Stone."

"No." Jett supplied; "They only talked about James, William and the camp. Nothing about the land owners, though. Convenient, don't you think?"

Carlos nodded; "Hey, I want to know all about Begley's. James and his friends used to go there, and Steve was on his way back to Miami when...the accident happened."

"All I know is that some DEA agents went there more than once. It was also closed for a while."

"But it's not closed now?"

"It's easy to find out." Jett answered; "Oh, and I sent for the guy who runs the camp when neither James nor William are there; his name is Beau."

"To try to know where William is?"

"Yeah."

"What I really don't get;" Carlos told him as he hopped on his desk; "is how Wayne got into that group. I mean, Joanna Mitchell was a model; Liam Mitchell was a well-regarded neuro-surgeon. Lucy's father is Edward Stone. Kendall's father was a well-known director back in the day and now he owns his company. Geraldo King was one of the last standing good business men in Miami. Steve is the mayor's son. And despite what happened to his father lately; James's family were very well off for the most part of their lives." He crooked his head to the side; "How does William fit into this group? And how did he get the money for the camp?"

"Probably from his father; Chad Andrews."

"Woah, his father is Chad Andrews?" Carlos asked; "The racer? He's the one who didn't want to admit he was William's father?!" He frowned; "But why would he lend him money when it took him so long to admit to having him in the first place? I don't think so. He would give him all that money."

"You think there was someone else with James and William?"

Carlos nodded; "I have a feeling it's Edward Stone..." He trailed off as he hopped off the desk and walked to the couch. "But I'll need more time to be sure."

"Just be aware that if Edward was dragged into this, it won't be good for the case."

The latino nodded again; "Let's just focus on finding William. I'm sure he's hiding in Miami, he couldn't have fled already." He turned to Jett; "Do you want coffee?"

"Yeah, sure."

Carlos pointed to the coffee machine in the corner and smirked; "Go make it yourself."

Jett huffed as he stood and walked to the coffee machine.

* * *

Logan walked into the guest room, holding the local newspaper in his hand. He walked to the bed and slammed it on Wayne's face.

Wayne jolted awake and looked around still out of it; "What the..."

"Morning, sunshine!" Logan smiled and sat at the foot of the bed; "That is for yesterday's brutal wake up. Now; read the front page."

"Why?" Wayne asked as he tried to pull the pillow over his head; "What could be in it?"

"That police department is looking all over for James's partner in the camp and the cocaine." He raised his eyebrows; "Nice picture they have of you, even though it's a bit old. Maybe the college picture?"

Wayne grabbed the newspaper in dismay and scanned the article about him, he sighed and threw it on the bedside table; "So what? It's not true; none of it is." He sat up in the bed, resting his head against the head board; "Stop worrying; the newspaper is just trying to boast up the sales."

Logan nodded; "That's was not what I meant; I meant that the entire state is now looking for you, they're rewarding whoever finds you with ten grand or something."

"Whatever, go make me something to eat." Wayne said as he relaxed back on the bed; "And don't forget the coffee."

Logan stood up and crossed his arms, staring Wayne down; "Excuse me, your highness?"

Wayne looked up in confusion until it registered in his head; "Oh, my apologies, kind sir." He chuckled; "But can you please ask the beautiful assistant of yours if she could possibly prepare me some breakfast? I'm a guest after all."

"Much better." Logan smiled smugly and left the room.

Wayne looked at the door, making sure Logan closed it after him. He reached under the bed; grabbing a relatively small bag. He looked through the money he had carefully hidden; making sure it was all there. He closed the bag and tucked it under the bed again.

Logan walked into his office to find Camille already standing there, waiting for him. He didn't miss the smile that lit up her face when she saw him.

He looked his desk and furrowed his eyebrows; "There was a file here... The Bitters's case file?"

"Oh." Camille said as she walked to his side, bending over to reach for the desk drawers. Being a single man for a while, Logan couldn't help but let his eyes wonder. "Right there." She told him, snapping him out of the slightly dirty thoughts, as she retrieved the file from the drawer.

Logan blushed a bit; "I thought we agreed you won't come near the files?"

"Have you seen your desk earlier today?" She crossed her arms; "It looked like a freaking tornado was here!"

"Well, after you organize my desk, I'm never able to find my files." He struggled to keep his cheeks from getting redder.

Camille smirked; "I'll always be there to help you find them."

Logan's head snapped up in wonder and he replied awkwardly; "Sure." He kept looking at her for a second until he finally remembered; "Could make some breakfast for the lazy ass in the guest room?"

"Absolutely." Camille gave him an easy smile; "Oh, did you see Evans yesterday?"

"Yeah."

"Well?" She looked at him; "What happened? What did the devil want?"

"He wanted to bribe me into leaving the case for him." He sat down on his fancy leather couch.

Camille sat next to him, instead of normally sitting in the arm chair, and again he found himself struggling to keep his normal color; "How much?"

"Three millions." He replied.

She raised her eyebrows; "And what did you do?" She looked at him in disgust; "You agreed?"

"I'm still thinking." He replied nonchalantly, refusing to meet her eyes so she won't tell he was lying. "What do you think?"

"You're still thinking?" She repeated; "You're still thinking?!" She grabbed the small cushion of the couch and hit him repeatedly, completing every word with a smack; "What the hell, boss? You're going to throw an innocent man in jail for money?! You'll rot in fucking hell if you do that!"

"But it's three millions, Camille!" He exclaimed, trying to keep the smile off of his face; "They could do a lot for me and this office, you'll get a huge raise, that's granted."

"Bribe money!" She screamed as she smacked him again; "I swear to God, if you accepted the money, I'll go tell Bitters to save his ass. He'll probably file a case against you and I'll be his lawyer in this." She calmed down from her outburst and continued; "You're the one who said that this is wrong, you taught me it's wrong. That nobody is above the law for any reason."

"Well, I guess I taught you just right." A proud smile graced his lips; "And I refused to take the money, just so you know."

Camille pressed her lips together then burst; "You were testing me?!"

She was about to hit him again when her hand before it reached him. He snatched the cushion away from her.

"Enough of that." He said and tossed it back to its place behind Camille; "You make me proud though, like for once in my life; I'm doing something right."

Camille nodded. She didn't want to tell him that since he came into her life three years ago, she was convinced that he did no wrong. She didn't know about his past work with Evans, but she was glad he realized how wrong he was. She was honestly proud of him, even more than he was of her.

_Not that she'd ever actually tell him that._

"I'm starving!"

They both turned to their heads to the guest room and burst out laughing at Wayne's shout.

"He's bossy." Camille commented.

Logan chuckled; "I'm well aware of that."

"Oh, and Stephanie? The woman I've mistaken for a prostitute the other night?" At Logan's chuckle, she continued; "She called earlier, but she didn't leave a message."

"I'll get back to her."

"People? At least get me the damn coffee!"

"Shut the fuck up, Wayne!" Logan shouted back, as easy smile on his face.

"I'll just go make Mr. Wayne some breakfast, before he starves to death."

* * *

Mayor David Jacobs relaxed in his seat, letting out a sigh. He didn't really want to be the mayor. The money and the prestigious position were tempting but the paper work was killing him.

The knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts.

"Come in."

His secretary opened the door, ushering Stephanie King inside and closed the door.

Stephanie walked through the gigantic office, making her way towards David as the latter stood up, adjusting his tie.

"Uncle Dave." Stephanie greeted as they shook hands and he gestured towards the classic old couch that fit his office perfectly.

"Steph. Good to see you." He sat down, smiling; "How are you doing? All is well?"

"Not really." She smiled genuinely; "Really missed you, though."

"You too." He sighed; "What's up with James's case? I still don't get it."

"No one does, trust me on that." She ran a hand through her hair; "Some believe, some don't even know what to believe. The investigation is running."

"He was sure as hell a weird kid." Jacobs told her; "I told Steve on more than one occasion that he should stay away, but he kept his friendship with James, Kendall and Logan. I honestly still don't understand why he loved them so much."

"How's Steve doing?"

"He didn't call you?"

"No." Stephanie sighed; "He hasn't for like, two months or something."

"He's doing okay, don't worry." He smiled; "You still love him?"

"I never hated him, that's for sure." She shared; "But the divorce... Well, it felt right at the time. Still feels right." Stephanie sighed; "He shouldn't worry about me in here, plus they would've dragged me to investigations trying to know where he is every chance possible. I don't want that. It was for the best."

"Do you know that the court will end this case soon, even though he's not here." He chuckled; "The whole democracy, the mayor's son sentenced to a few years in prison."

"Hopefully it will end well for everyone, both cases."

He nodded; "Well, not that I hate your visit; but what brings you here? Why did you ask to see me?"

"I honestly need your help." She told him; "I want to ask you about a company that imports cars, it's owned by someone called Richard Valentine. I did some research and found out that this Richard Valentine is just a front image and that there are some important people behind him."

"And what's the problem?"

"The problem is that they want to buy a share in my business and want me to get their cars into the streets, I refused but they keep pushing. I'm kind of scared, to tell the truth."

"Look, there's still law in here. We just said that the mayors son might go to jail." He chuckled; "And why are you scared anyway? I have your back, you know how much I adore you."

Stephanie smiled, relieved, and expressed her gratitude.

* * *

Kendall sneaked into his room silently, trying not to startle Jo out of her sleep. He rested the breakfast tray on the bedside table and tossed the newspaper next to it. He climbed into the bed, running a hand through her blonde strands gently. He bent down and pecked her lips then moved to her ear.

"Jo?" He whispered in her ear and smiled as she stirred slightly; "Jo? Baby, wake up."

She finally opened her eyes and smiled at him; "Good morning."

"Morning."

She spotted the tray by the bed and looked at him questioningly; "What's all that?"

Kendall smiled; "Just a little breakfast to cheer you up."

"Where's the newspaper?"

His smile strained a bit; "Right here. But there's something more important." He smiled; "I want a sibling for Joe."

"Joe?" She sat up in her bed; "Who's Joe?"

"My first child who is not even here yet." Jo laughed and his smiled widened hopefully. "So?"

"Not yet."

"You told me that a year ago."

She raised her eyebrows; "We just got married."

"We just got married a year ago." He argued; "And why wait anyway? There's a big house, our jobs are great and we love each other. Why won't we share a kid or two?"

"I understand you work in commercials and all but you can't sell this to me." She sighed; "And I can agree, but on one condition."

"Name it!"

"Maybe do a commercial, asking me to have your baby." She stuck out her tongue, jokingly.

"A, if you were I client; I would've convinced you in one hour not a year." He said; "B, I'll do the commercial and buy airing slots in every freaking channel, if I have to." He looked at her; "So?"

"I don't know..."

Kendall sighed and nodded. He reached for the newspaper and handed it to Jo; "I didn't want to give it to you earlier, the front page is the worst." He retrieved the tray, put it beside her and left the room.

* * *

Dak walked into his father's office, finding the latter reading the newspaper, a frown deeply on his face.

"I'm going to class, dad." He informed his father; "Do you need anything?"

"No, thanks son." He tried to smile and failed miserably at it; "Just take care."

Dak nodded; "Are you okay, dad? Mum told me you saw Mr. Garcia yesterday, is all good?"

"Yeah, nothing new still." He gestured toward the newspaper; "I'm just pissed at what's written here about your brother. Just bogus. I have no idea why they'd do that." He looked up to Dak; "Don't ever believe that about James, Dak. James wasn't an addict nor was he a dealer, never forget that. He wasn't a criminal."

Dak nodded; "Did mum read this?"

"No." Jeffery shook his head; "She's across the street, at Joanna Mitchell's. Jennifer Knight is there too. But I'll deal with it, I just hope she doesn't even come across the papers." He sighed; "Oh, can you call King's Motors? Or stop by? Tell them to come take the motorcycle already." He ran a hand through his grey hair; "I won't lie to you, the money James left the last time he was home is almost over, we might need the money soon."

"Of course." Dak muttered; "I'll call them. Bye, dad."

"Take care, Dak."

* * *

Annie, Stephanie's secretary was hanging by her desk. It was still way early in the morning and no clients were over to check out the motorcycles yet. She was sitting by her own desk, reading a romance novel; positively bored out of her mind.

She was so immersed in the book that she didn't hear when the phone rung the first time. When she finally heard it the second time she reached out for it quickly; "Good morning. King's Motors, may I help you?"

"What make? And the design number?"

"Of course, sir. I'll inform Miss. Stephanie and she'll get back to you as soon as possible."

"May I have your contact information please?"

"Of course, sir. Have a nice day."

She continued jotting down the information, unaware that Stephanie had just pushed her way through the front door.

"Morning, Annie."

"Miss. Stephanie." Annie greeted; "Someone called to sell a motorcycle, he said he bought it through us."

"Which design?"

"I have the code number and the design."

"He didn't say his name?"

"Diamond. Dak Diamond." Annie informed her as she handed Stephanie the paper with her notes; "I have his contact information right here. Oh and Mr. Logan Mitchell is waiting for upstairs."

Stephanie nodded. She sighed, pocketing the small note and headed for the stairs, taking them two at a time.

She found her guest sitting on the couch, legs crossed, typing furiously on his phone.

"Loges!" She greeted cheerfully as she made her way towards the couch.

"Steph." He said as he discarded his cell phone beside him and embraced her in a friendly hug.

"Sorry you had to come all the way over."

Logan smiled in return; "Hey, one for one, right?" His phone beeped and he picked it up, he smiled as he typed a reply, discarding the phone again.

"And may I ask who are you texting?"

Logan blushed; "Just Camille."

Stephanie raised an eyebrow and looked at him pointedly; "Is our Logan getting down and dirty with his personal assistant?"

"What? No!" He shook his head; "She just complaining about Wayne being bossy." He chuckled; "And seriously, me? Getting 'down and dirty' with someone? I thought you knew me; I'm the awkward hopeless romantic, who has history of falling for the inappropriate women; I'm not even capable of getting 'down and dirty'."

"You're being rather defensive, though." She teased; "I mean, I saw Camille. She's funny, she runs your office, she keeps up with your bossy friends, she texts and she's definitely beautiful, Logan."

"Let's not talk about Camille, shall we?"

"I just miss teasing the crap out of you!"

Logan chuckled, rubbing a hand down his face in embarrassment; "I noticed, it's kind of obvious."

"On a more serious, Camille-related note; you should ask her out."

"I'm not in high school anymore."

"Or you just don't want to be rejected again." Her face softened and her teasing ceased; "Look, I know you had a thing for Lucy and that night... Well, let's not relive that. But despite what Lucy made you think, you are worth more than just a drunken one night stand. Honestly; you're way better looking than you give yourself credit for. You're also a perfect gentleman and a nice guy. I bet you're just the right boyfriend material."

Logan nodded awkwardly, refusing to look her in the eye; "You ummm called today?"

Stephanie sighed at his not-so subtle way to change the subject; "Yeah, did you read the newspaper?"

"Yes."

"So?" She pressed; "I take it Wayne is still at your place?"

"He's staying there; he said he'll leave in a couple of days."

"Leave how?" She asked; "They're onto him? At first it was just the cops, but now the entire state knows what he looks like."

"I don't know, he said he'll leave the US until something comes up to prove his innocence."

"And you'll just let him get up and go?" She asked; "You'll let him do what Steve did three years ago?"

"Wayne is not Steve. Steve is guilty; people died. But Wayne is not a drug dealer." He sighed when she glared at him; "I know you don't like Wayne. And I get it, it's hard to do. But he's my friend after all, I can't report him." He ran a hand through his hair; "I just can't."

"I never understood you, Logan." She confessed; "I never understood how you're friends with Steve and Wayne. You're a much better person. Hell, better than Kendall even."

"You won't get it."

"Did you see Lucy?" She asked; "If you saw her, how beaten she looks; you would've reported him on your own."

"Can we leave Lucy out of this, please?!" He exclaimed.

"How about we leave Lucy, Steve and James out of this while we're at it?" She asked; "Didn't you notice that he-"

"If whatever you're going to say is to make me report him, I won't." Logan told her; "And if you were in my shoes, you wouldn't; I know you, Steph."

"Wayne won't talk unless he was caught in an investigation!" She argued; "Please think about it. If not for me, then for James."

Logan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

_He really didn't know what he should do._

* * *

"You're Beau, right?" Carlos asked as he sipped his coffee.

"Y-yes, sir." The brown haired man replied timidly.

"You run the camp when James and William aren't available?" When he nodded again, Carlos continued; "Where's William, Beau?"

"I already told you in the official investigation." Beau replied; "The day after James died, Wayne gave me money and told me to give out the salaries earlier this month for the camp workers. He left right before Mr. Stetson came in to search the camp."

"How long have you been working in the camp?"

"About a year, sir. Since they opened it."

"And you never heard about the cocaine? Or seen anybody trade it?"

"No." Beau answered; "I was there when Mr. Stetson searched James's cabin and found the cocaine there. I swear I was surprised he even found anything. Although..."

"Although what?"

"On the night of the accident, Wayne and James fought..."

* * *

Another flashback-less chapter; I'm losing my touch :P

Don't worry, though, Chapter 10 OPENS with a flashback.

Please review and let me know what you think ;)

-J


	10. Chapter 10

WooHoo! Another update!

Enjoy :)

* * *

**Four Days Ago.**

Lucy was grinding against some random guy she didn't even know. She was so wasted and she didn't even know what time it was. She was holding a beer bottle in a hand and a cigarette in the other.

She was surprised when the guy behind her suddenly disappeared and she was yanked around to come face to face with Wayne.

"What the hell are you doing?" Wayne asked her as calmly as he could.

"What's up, Wayne?"

"Don't you see how were you dancing with that guy just there? He's sporting a fucking boner!"

"So what?" She dragged a long breath from the cigarette and grinned; "I'm just a bit drunk."

"Let me get you out of it, then." He grabbed the beer bottle and threw it over his shoulder. He reached for her hand and was going to drag her to the bathroom, ignoring her protest.

"Dude." James said as he appeared seemingly out of nowhere. He struggled against Wayne's tight grip on Lucy and stood between them; "What's with all the commotion?"

"Stay out of this, JD!" Wayne said as he tried to reach for Lucy again, pushing James to the side.

"Not when you're hurting her, I won't." James stood his ground, pushing Wayne back gently. "Just tell me what's wrong so I'd understand."

"You don't have to understand!" Wayne screamed and pushed James back roughly.

"What the hell, Wayne?!" James exclaimed and he gripped Wayne, keeping him at his arms' length. "Are you high?!"

"No, I'm not!" Wayne screamed; "I'm more aware than her, at least! So stay away from me!" He chuckled darkly; "Or you know what? Just have her! You're not the first and most definitely won't be the last!"

"Wayne!" James warned and at that point, Beau had showed up, trying to drag Wayne away from the scene.

"Or maybe just use her to get revenge on Edward for what he did to your old man! Nobody can't be that forgiving, James. How do you forgive her and Edward after all they'd done?!"

"Don't even go there!" James screamed and shoved Wayne harshly; "You're drunk, you don't even know what you're saying! But we will talk about this when you're sober!"

James grabbed Lucy and dragged her to God knows where, while Wayne shoved Beau away from his as the latter was trying to calm him down, then he stormed off to get another drink from the bar.

* * *

**Present Time.**

"That's all sir." Beau finished; "A few minutes later, James took Lucy and left."

"Wait." Carlos held up his hand; "Who is Lucy's boyfriend, anyway?"

"Well, sir..." Beau looked down, confused; "It's hard to tell; Lucy showed up every week at the camp and I can swear that every time it was a new guy. Beside her on-again-off-again with Wayne."

Carlos sighed; "Fine, who were James's friends that visited the camp?"

"A lot of people came to the camp, sir; and I don't know all of his friends. Plus, James was a nice guy and knew a lot of people."

"And nobody liked Wayne?"

"I never said that." Beau replied; "James loved Wayne dearly. They never actually fought, only the last night because Wayne was drunk."

"Hmm." Carlos nodded and sipped his coffee; "You can go now, I'll call you if I need you."

"Yes, sir."

Carlos grabbed his jacket and was about to leave when his cell phone rang out. He smiled as he picked it up.

"Heya, Mamma."

"How's little Javi? He's being a good boy?"

"Can he sleep over with me tonight? I kinda miss my little boy?"

"Thank you, Mamma. Stay safe."

"Sure, Bye."

* * *

Logan opened the door to his apartment, once again finding Camille on his living room couch. She was bobbing her head to whatever was blaring from her laptop and into the her headset.

He looked at her closely, thinking about what Stephanie told him. She was right, he had the worst luck with women. But the ones who stood out most were Lucy and no one other than his own mother.

Lucy had screwed him over, big time. He had been crushing on her since the day they met, but one night; they were both so drunk that they slept together. The sweet and naïve lawyer-in-training thought that this could be his chance to be something; but she gave him the cold shoulder.

_Then humiliated him in front of the entire mutual group of friends._

The second, his mother, hadn't talked to him for three years. Since he won the case against Jeffery Diamond unknowingly.

Since his father, Liam, died.

She disowned him and even banned him from seeing his younger brother; Ryan Mitchell. She fully believed he killed his own old man.

_Which he sort of did...but kind of didn't..._

Logan shook the negative memories out of his head. All of that was years ago, but he was in the right now. He focused on the beautiful, perky brunette on his couch.

He had to admit, Camille was nothing like Lucy. A complete opposite. But she was also crazy.

Logan had a thing for crazy.

He was about to sneak up behind her, just like the other day, when she spoke up.

"Are you going to stand there creepily all day or are you actually going to come in?"

He chuckled; "I will come in, I just didn't want to bother you."

"Mhm." She replied knowingly; "Right."

"Where's Wayne?"

Snapping her laptop shut, she turned to him; "He gathered his belongings and left about an hour ago."

"What?" Logan knew he was leaving, but he didn't think he was leaving so soon; "How did he leave?!"

"He rode a bike." She replied sarcastically; "He just strutted out of the apartment and that was it. All I know is that he's heading for Australia."

"Australia?" Logan repeated; "How do you know he's going there?"

"His plane ticket was on the table when I brought him breakfast earlier today, duh."

"What the hell?!" He snapped suddenly; "Were you spying on him?!" Camille jumped up from the couch, looking at the ground in a mix of guilt and apologies. Logan smirked; "Good girl, now why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Camille picked the couch cushion and Logan had a repeat of what happened earlier today.

When she finally stopped smacking her boss, he sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his head.

"I thought he already told you." She asked; "Was a good friend of yours?"

"We were five, Camille." Logan told her as he sat on the couch beside her. He pointed to the guest room, where Wayne had spent the night; "There used to be a poker table in the guest room. We'd gather pretty much every night."

* * *

**About Six Years Ago; March 2006.**

"Do you have any threes?" Steve said as he lit up his cigarette.

"We're not playing go fish, dumbass?" Logan raised his eyebrow; "We're playing estimation."

"Really?" Steve asked; "Nobody told me."

"We did, you weren't listening." James interjected as he turned to him, raising one eyebrow. "Plus, we always play estimation when Kendall's late. Then we play poker. We never played go fish, ever."

"Really?"

"Really." They both confirmed simultaneously.

Steve turned to Wayne and repeated; "Really?"

Wayne nodded and turned to James and Logan; "Who dealt this hand, guys?"

"JD."

"Well, I won't play it." Wayne said, throwing his cards in the middle.

Logan discarded his own cards face down and picked Wayne's. He counted them and turned to Wayne; "Hmm, those are twelve cards, where's the last one?"

Wayne frowned; "They teach you to count in pre-school, Loges."

"Stop cheating." Logan glared; "And hand over the fucking card!"

"Calm down, guys." Steve intervened; "Let's just count the aces. I have the ace of spade."

Logan sighed; "I have the heart and the diamond."

"And I got nothing." James replied and turned back to Wayne; "Clubs, Wayne. Hand it over."

Wayne ran a hand through his hair and reached inside his shirt sleeve, pulling out the ace of clubs and threw it on the table as he complained; "But I always lose!"

"Don't we all?" Steve laughed; "Logan always has the best score of the night anyway and whips all of our asses combined."

"It's not my fault you're all either drunk off your asses or have brains in the size of a cricket." Logan defended; "At least I don't cheat."

"And karma!" Steve explained; "You do bad thing through the day then you come back here for Logan to kick your ass over and over!"

"Oh, please don't speak of bad things today!" Kendall shouted as he walked in. Nobody had heard him come in; he had a key to the apartment, just like all of them at that point, and they were talking too loudly to notice him. He handed Logan the pack of beer he brought and sat down; "A girl works in my dad's company, her name is Rebecca. My dad sort of caught her in her office with the security guy and he got pissed and wanted to fire her and I tried to talk to him because she's fucking hot. He fired her and got upset at me; what the hell did I do?"

"Because he knows she won't slip through those dirty fingers of yours." Steve told him and patted his back.

"Me?!" Kendall exclaimed as he turned to the others for support.

"Hey now;" Logan smiled pointed at Steve; "Kendall is nice and polite." He chuckled; "Kinda, anyway."

"Tell him, Logan!" Kendall cheered and opened his beer; "He's bad talking my reputation!"

"We, Mr. Reputation." Wayne sipped his own beer; "Did you get her number?"

"What number, Wayne? Are you crazy?" He smirked; "I gave her the address; she's bringing a couple of her friends."

"YES!" Steve and Wayne chorused and high fived.

"Woah no!" Logan screamed; "Not going to happen!"

"Oh, come on, Loges!" Wayne said; "Please?"

"Even if I said yes, where the hell are you going to do it?"

"Well," Steve looked between all of them; "Maybe you could lend us your room for the night?"

"What?! No! No way!"

"Bravo, Logan!" James finally rejoined the conversation; "That's my good boy!"

"We'll let you in first, Logan." Kendall bargained.

Surprisingly enough, Logan seemed to think about it. Until James smacked him and he stuttered out another 'No'.

* * *

**Present Time.**

Both Logan and Camille turned their heads to the door when they heard the knock. Camille instantly smirked as they both stood up, Camille walking to the door and Logan to his own bedroom to discard his jacket.

"Probably Rebecca is here to continue where she left off." She teased.

Logan sighed; "And now I regret telling you. And nothing happened anyway! James and I stood our ground then Kendall had to cancel."

"I'll try to believe that." Camille said as she opened the door, it was the blonde from two days ago; Kendall. "Oh, hi."

"Is Logan home?"

"Yeah, come in." She ushered him inside just as Logan left his room.

"Hey, Loges." Kendall greeted as he hugged the shorter brunette briefly; "Why are you not picking up your phone?"

"Forgot it on silent." Logan replied then chuckled; "We were just talking about you; I was telling Camille about the girl that used to work for your father, you gave my address to."

Kendall looked clueless for a second until he remembered; "Oh, Rebecca! The one my father caught with the..." He trailed off and blushed, looking to Camille and back to Logan; "Why would you tell? I feel debunked...and kind of scandalized..."

"He was just taking a trip down the memory lane." Camille joked and left the men together as she walked to Logan's office, closing the door behind her to give them some privacy.

"C'mon." Kendall said; "Jo's in the car, we're going to hang out in the cafe. Steph will join us later."

"But I just came back, I didn't eat an-"

"Let's go." Kendall said firmly and tugged Logan towards the door.

"Can I at least grab my jacket?"

"No."

The lawyer barely had time to shout that he'll be back later before Kendall shoved him out.

Dak sighed tiredly as he opened the door to his house. He shut the door behind him and walked towards the living room

And stopped in his tracks.

He didn't expect to have a guest tonight.

He knew the man sitting on his couch, though. He'd seen him in a lot of James's pictures and on his camera. He just knew it was William 'Wayne' Dooley; the same guy the cops are after.

Dak walked towards him and extended his hand as Jeff introduced him.

"This is Wayne, your brother's partner and one of his best friends."

Dak nodded silently and sat on the third arm chair, on the other side of his mother; "You're the wanted guy?"

Wayne nodded and sat down; "Yes, Dak, I'm the one they're looking for." He sighed; "I want you to listen to me carefully, buddy; your brother was my business partner in the camp and I want to pay back his share, I don't want to leave you hanging. I didn't bring all the money, unfortunately, as I'm in a lot of financial problems myself and the DEA closed the camp up. That's all I could get."

"We won't take the money." Brooke said.

"Why?"

"We won't until we know what happened." Brooke told him, tears gathering in her eyes and almost spilling out; she was still emotionally unstable and Wayne couldn't blame her.

"Mr. Dooley," Jeffery started; "Why are you here?"

"I'm here to bring you James's money. I can't leave while being in debt to you; especially knowing about your own financial problems."

"I'll call the cops." Dak said as he reached for the landline.

"Don't." Jeff ordered, looking at his son sternly. Dak reluctantly put it back.

"And why shouldn't he?" Brooke asked and she crossed her arms. "They should arrest him!"

"You evidently got it all wrong." Wayne tried to explain; "I never even thought about causing any harm to James before and I know nothing about the cocaine, I know nothing about the cops who were tracking him. But I know that James has nothing to do with any cocaine."

"Then who does?" Brooke asked.

"I don't know." He replied; "I swear to you I don't. And if I did I would have reported them immediately."

"Then why are you running away?" Dak asked.

Wayne shook his head; "I'm only running so I won't end up how James did."

"I saw your pictures with James before." Dak said; "And I know my brother well enough to be sure that he'd never be smiling with anyone unless he was a very good friend of his, someone he truly loved and cared for." He shook his head; "He probably was wrong in your case. If he knew you'd kill him; he would have."

Wayne nodded, trying to overlook Dak's pure disgust at him; "Say all you want to say, I don't blame you, but time will prove to you that I'm not the bad guy. Maybe you don't know me as well as you know Kendall, Logan and Steve, and maybe this is the last time we will ever meet; but I know you really well. And I heard about you almost every night." He smiled tired; "I know of the beautiful girl you've been dating since high school. Jennifer, right?" He turned to Jeff when he noticed Dak's depressed gaze moving to the ground; "Sir, I need you to believe me. This is not drug money, I swear it. It was James's and it's yours now."

"Don't even start!" Jeff exclaimed; "Do you think I don't know who owns the land? Please just take your money and go." He sighed; "You need it more than we do under the current circumstances."

"Jeff? Who owned the land?" Brooke asked; "What are you keeping from me? What happened to my son? What do you know about those people?" Her voice suddenly went louder as she looked at Wayne; "Listen, son. You should understand that I'm a mother, a mother who lost her son! And to top it off, I don't get what's going on, I don't get what happened to him! Do you understand what it feels like to not understand anything?!" She got relatively calmer as she looked at him desperately; "You have to tell us what happened. If you believe that my son was innocent then you should speak out and tell the whole world about it. Can you do that? Can you prove it?!"

"Calm down, Brooke. Please." Jeffery soothed as he pulled his wife in his embrace; "Please leave, son. And take the money, if you may."

"O-okay." Wayne wiped the single tear that was slowly making its way down his face and picked the bag. He stood up and walked to the door alone. Casting a last look at the miserable family, he finally left their house; his decision already made.

* * *

The lights in King's Motors were turned off as all the employers were leaving. Stephanie stood by the giant glass door, locking her business when there was a loud screech right behind her, resulting from a car hitting the brakes roughly. She turned around just in time to see an angry looking DEA agent slam the door to his car.

"Where the fuck is William, Stephanie?!"

"I already told you I don't know." Stephanie replied.

"Beau, the camp manager, already told me he was staying with some of his friends."

"Well, I'm not one of his friends."

Carlos reached for his pocket, handing Stephanie a couple of pictures he found on James's and Lucy's laptops. "That's not what the pictures say."

Stephanie glanced at the pictures; they were of the group hanging together as a whole. She looked up to the short latino; "Have you ever been a part of a group and there was this one person you couldn't stand, but you had to deal with him anyway for the sake of the group?"

"But you forgot to mention that Lucy introduced you to James and Steve, who later introduced you to William."

"You only asked about James and Steve." She defended; "And I believe Logan was the one to bring Wayne to their group in college."

"Don't you get it?!" Carlos exclaimed, making a few people turn their heads in their direction; "William and James got into a fight on the night of the accident! And the reason for the fight was Lucy! He is the key to this case, so where the hell is he?!"

"Carlos, I don't know where he is." She told him, refusing to meet his eye.

Carlos was about to lash out verbally when his phone ringing cut him off. He reached for the phone, anger evident in his movement and answered it; "Talk to me, Jett."

"What?! Really?!"

"Okay, I'll be on my way."

He disconnected the call and turned to Stephanie; "I told you, if you be clear and honest with me, you won't see me a lot. But now you have to anyway because you're lying to me!" He smirked; "William turned himself in."

Carlos took off towards his car, leaving a bewildered Stephanie staring into space.

* * *

"I'm just not convinced by whatever crap Wayne had said." Kendall said and took a bite off his donut.

They were in the local cafe they've been hanging out at for years. After Logan whined for half an hour about Kendall dragging him out of his apartment, without him eating; Kendall got them some donuts. Jo was in the bathroom and they were waiting on Stephanie.

Logan shrugged; "There's no time for that now, he's already gone."

"Logan!" Stephanie said as she rushed towards them, clearly out of breath.

"Something's wrong, Steph?"

"Wayne." She said; "He turned himself in!"

Kendall looked down while Logan ran a hand through his hair then down and over his face. Jo chose this moment to return to the table, she looked between them and raised her eyebrows.

"Okay, what the hell did I miss?"

Logan sprang out of his seat, collecting his wallet and cell phone and pocketing them both; "I need to go."

"Let me come with you."

"No, Steph." He replied; "There's no use. I'll try to keep you all posted; I'll call right after."

Watching Logan's retreating back, Jo asked; "Seriously, what did I miss?"

"Wayne turned himself in."

* * *

Carlos was over the phone as he made his way to his office through the maze of hallways.

"I'm sorry, mama, I won't be able to pick Javi tonight."

"I'll come by and get him tomorrow."

"I'm really sorry, I have to go."

He hung up the phone as he neared his office. He spotted Jett waiting for him by the door.

"Where is he?"

"He's in your office." Jett supplied; "I got him from the police station to here right away."

Carlos nodded frantically and was about to enter his office when Logan appeared before him.

"Mr. Garcia." Logan greeted formally.

"Logan." Carlos nodded; "Can I help you?"

"I'm here for Wayne." Logan said; "I won't interfere with your investigation, if anything; I'll help. But I need to be there for him, he's like a brother."

"Fine, come on." Carlos pushed the door open and ushered Logan inside. "Finally we meet, William."

"Just Wayne."

Carlos didn't miss the approving look Logan shot Wayne, or the small smile he got in return.

"So." Carlos started; "Where do we start?"

"Whatever you please, sir."

Carlos nodded; "How did you and James meet?"

"We were five." Wayne started; "At first, Logan and I were roommates in college, we were both studying law."

"Wayne was your average college man whore." Logan supplied; "I could swear he slept with pretty much every girl on campus. One day, one of the guys on the football team found out Wayne tapped his girl. He freaked out and gathered the rest of the football team and came pounding on our door..."

* * *

**About Eight Years Ago; January 2004.**

"Logan? Who's there?"

Logan blinked as he looked through the peephole; "James, the entire football team is at my door. I have no idea why, but they're carrying baseball bats." He spoke through the phone.

Another series of pounds shook his door and a rough voice rang out; "Wayne! Get your ass out here!"

"Who is Wayne?"

"My roommate." Logan said as he backed away from the door; "He's in the shower."

"Oh."

Logan walked to the balcony, still holding the phone to his ear; "Where are you, again?"

"Parking lot, waiting for a certain future lawyer to get his ass down here so we could go meet up with Steve and Kendall. I borrowed Kendall's car."

"Aha." Logan looked down. His room was on the second floor, the jump wasn't exactly that bad if he did it right. "I'll be there in a few. Alive, hopefully."

Wayne chose this moment to get out of the bathroom, fully dressed with damp hair. "What the hell is that noise?"

"Football team is breaking down our door."

"Oh, crap!" Wayne reached for his wallet and cell phone, pocketing them. "I slept with the captain's girlfriend, bitch must've told him."

"That's a lovely roommate you have here, Loges."

"Oh, shut it, James." Logan turned back to the balcony and addressed Wayne; "Think we can make the jump?"

"Yeah, I think so."

Logan hung up with James, promising to be there in a minute. Him and Wayne were about to jump when the door broke down under the angry pounding of the football team.

They both jumped over the railing immediately, landing on the green grass under their balcony. Logan guided Wayne towards the parking lot, both of them hearing the football team as they, too, jumped from their dorm room and continued the chase.

They both jumped into Kendall's car, screaming a few 'go's at the tall brunette behind the wheel. They managed to escape campus lightly with a shattered windshield.

Needless to say, Logan and Wayne moved out of the dorms after that.

* * *

Hope you all like where this is going so far. Review and let me know what you think.

Ciao!

-J


	11. Chapter 11

Aaaaaand an update!

But first; my deep condolences to everyone involved in the Sandy Hook Elementary School incidebnt; children, parents and teachers. I can't believe how disgusting this is; how can someone hold a gun to a defenseless kid's head and manage to pull the trigger? Time to act, Mr. President. Should look into the laws of guns possession, now. Too late though. 30 people died, 20 of which are children. I can hardly believe it...

Anyway, sorry for the late update.

Enjoy

* * *

**Present Time.**

"Let's say I own a company." Wayne started; "And my business partner sells cocaine, why am I convicted of selling his cocaine?"

"Because we found the cocaine in your company." Carlos replied; "In the camp." Wayne sighed and Carlos continued; "You and James fought because of Lucy on the night of the accident, am I correct?" Way ne nodded; "And you told him to get revenge on her father from her because of what Stone did to Jeffery Diamond."

"It was a drunken moment from me, nothing more."

"Alcohol brings out the truth inside."

"He told you he was drunk."

"Shut up, Logan!" Carlos screamed and turned to Wayne; "Tell me about it, Wayne . "

"James didn't even know Edward was the businessman behind Jeffery losing the land until recently." Wayne told him; "And when he knew, Lucy was already a part of the group's dynamic, like every one else, and he didn't see a reason to hate her for something her father did. The day he found out, he was in the camp and so was Lucy. He was pissed, I won't lie. He took her back to her home because he couldn't stand to look at her. But in a few days, his anger ceased and it was like it never happened. If he really wanted to hurt her, would he do that? Would he take her home? The camp was out of Miami, he could've killed her and buried her and no one would've known."

"You're wrong." Carlos said; "Back then, James probably went to the dealer first. He probably got Lucy addicted so she'd cover for him and shut up about it."

"James would never deal."

Carlos turned to Logan; "If you don't shut up, you'll spend the night behind bars."

"You can't do that, it's illegal." Logan challenged.

Carlos looked as if he was about to blow. He then sighed and pinched his nose bridge and turned to Wayne; "Beau said that you and James were close; that neither of you would do anything unless the other knew about it."

"No." Wayne answered; "We were close, but the whole neither of us would do anything, that's just regarding the camp. Like, I never met James's parents and I've known him for years. I was surprised by the whole cocaine thing; just like every one else. And the last thing I could ever imagine is James dealing, it can't be. You'll ask me to prove it; I'll say I can't." He looked up at Carlos; "You'll ask if I'm sure; I'll also tell you I can't be."

Carlos nodded in frustration. He got off from behind his desk and reached for a file. He circled the desk and stood beside Wayne; "We found those pictures on James's and Lucy's laptops. Of the two o f you with Lucy." He sat back in his chair; "Now, I want to hear the complete story of Lucy Stone from the two of you. "

"There no story." Logan started; "I introduced Wayne into the group and about a year later, Steve introduced Lucy. He said his father knew her father and they were close friends..."

* * *

**Seven Years Ago; June 2005.**

"I'm not a teacher's pet!"

"Yes, you are, Logan." Wayne argued; "Lucas Evans, one of the greatest lawyers in Miami _asked_ you to go and train in his firm! And you're not even done with college, yet!"

James shrugged; "I'm not surprised."

"Yeah." Kendall agreed; "I mean; Logan has been smart all his life. He excelled all through high school and two years in law school. It's only natural."

Logan sighed and banged his head on the coffee shop table, earning the laughs of his friends, weird looks from other cus tomers and the fond looks of the cafe workers, who knew the lawyer since he was in high school.

He was spared the humiliation when Steve walked in towards them, a woman about their age trailing behind him.

"Hey, guys!" Steve greeted; "This is Lucy Stone; he father is a good friend of my own old man." He turned to Lucy; "Those are my best buds; that's Wayne Dooley." Lucy and Wayne shook hands, both of them keeping their hands intertwined longer than necessary. Steve grabbed her arm and moved it towards Kendall; "Kendall Knight, James Diamond and finally; Logan Mitchell." Again, Steve raise his eye brows at the lingering handshake. Logan and Lucy seemed oblivious as she dropped to the chair next to his own.

They both were so immersed in their conversation that they didn't notice the others talking about them, while Wayne shifted uncomfortably as the flames of jealousy danced in his eyes.

* * *

**Present Time.**

"You two liked her?" Carlos smirked; "You both thought that it would actually pass easily?"

"Nobody thought anything." Logan shook his head; "Lucy turned out to have a boy friend and neither of us acted on our feelings until much later. Two years later, around the time Lucy introduced Stephanie."

"True." Wayne confirmed; "And the Lucy who was introduced that night no longer existed. We watched her change in front of our eyes until she was no longer the same person. She became a spoiled brat who slept around. And Stephanie and her have been in a bad place for over a year, they never talked or met and when they actually did; it was bizarre."

"And what happened when you acted on you feelings, Logan?"

Logan shifted uneasily in his seat; "Well, four years ago, there was a party. Steve organized it at Begley's and we wer e drunk." He sighed; "Lucy and I... Well , we slept together. I thought this might be my chance to ask her out, maybe get her to go on a date. At that point, I was way past the 'crush' stage and I was sure I loved her. I never stopped, really. Ummm, anyway, we were back at Begley's and she was riding a horse..."

* * *

**Four Years Ago; August 2008.**

Logan leaned against a small palm tree. Hey was standing in the stable's section at Begley's, watching as Lucy rode a horse around. He watched as she maneuvered the horse towards him and moved to get down off the leathers.

"Do you need help?"

"With what?" She smirked as she swung her leg over the horse, landing gracefully right in front of Logan. She patted the horse fondly; "You're into it?"

"In to what?"

"Riding." She handed the bridle's reins to one of the men who worked at the stables; "You have been staring at the horse for a while." She smiled smugly; "Or have you been staring at something, or rather someone other than the horse?"

"I-I wasn't staring."

"Mhmm." She crossed her arms; "I never would have picked you for the 'beating around the bushes' type of guy"

Logan watched as she passed him to leave so he turned around; "So what if I came right out and said that I love you?" He saw her halt and lower her head; "What if I was to tell you that I felt drawn to you since we've met? And that my feellings have, against my own will and better judgment, escalated to loving you?"

"Then you're an idiot." Lucy shook her head and turned around to face him; "What happened between us was...amazing. I was sober enough to tell you I loved it; I have been waiting for it. But we?" She gestured between the two of them; "We will never work, Logan. I can't deny my feelings for you, but I can't act on them. It's for your own good. We're opposites ."

"Opposites attract."

"Not in our case." Lucy shook her head again as she approached him; "Trust me, I'll make your life a living hell. I'll hurt you and screw you over and over again. And you're going to hate it. Then you 're going to despise me. And despite what you might think, I'd rather die than have your life ruined."

"Maybe I can fix yours?"

Lucy smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck; "You're just too optimistic for your own good." She pressed her lips against his own briefly before she pulled away, walking to where their friends were all staying.

The newly-wedded Stephanie and Steve were talking on one side. On the other, Kendall was on the phone; probably with his father. Wayne and James kept messing with him and talking in loud voices purposely to piss him off, while he kept hushing them, agitated.

Steve was the first one to notice her back; "Luce, did you like the horse?"

"No." She smirked; "Too emotional."

The group of friends was startled at the very familiar yell of pain. They turned their heads in union to find Logan on the ground, groaning in pain, while other stable workers tried to regain control over a horse.

Kendall's cell phone was discarded as he bolted into the stables, running towards Logan, all the others following him.

"I'm fine." Logan said as he tried to stand up. His left foot didn't support his weight up and he almost collapsed, if it wasn't for Kendall and James, who each took a hand and helped him limp towards their table.

"Fine, my ass." James teased; "You would 've been in a better shape if you fell fucking rhino."

"See, Steve?" Lucy chuckled as she leaned into Wayne's embrace; "That's why I didn't like my horse."

James and Kendall halted momentarily as they glared at Lucy and Logan's lop-side d smile disappeared as he urged them to move. He heard Steve scolding Lucy and Stephanie's smack against her head.

He risked a glance back to see Wayne looking right back at him smugly.

* * *

**Present Time.**

"She slept with Wayne that night." Logan said. His gaze was fixed on the floor; his hands were buried in the blazer he had borrowed from Kendall before he came in to accompany Wayne.

Wayne's eyes were blown wide. His gaze kept darting towards everything in the room except Logan's still form.

Sensing the awkwardness in the room, Carlos decided to give them both a moment in silence.

* * *

"Hmm?" Stephanie urged.

"He's not picking up." Kendall informed her as he discarded his phone on the table in the cafe; "Probably still with Garcia and Wayne in the interrogation." He turned to Stephanie; "What's wrong?"

"That Agent; Garcia, came to my business today." She said as she leaned back in her chair; "He was so convinced that I knew Wayne's whereabouts. I almost blurted it out!" She chuckled as Kendall laughed; "And now I feel bad that he turned himself in. The guilt."

"Guilt over whom?" Kendall smirked; "You should feel guilty for knowing a whore like Wayne in the first place. Seriously, just looking at him makes you want to report him for anything." Stephanie laughed and he continued; "Do you even know how he and James met?"

"How?"

"He was running from the football team; they were after him for knocking the captain's girlfriend up."

"Wow."

"I know." He chuckled and turned his head towards the women's restrooms, where Jo had disappeared yet again.

"Did you talk to her?"

"Yes, this morning actually." Kendall returned his gaze to Stephanie; "She's still refusing, I just don't understand."

"Or maybe you're the one in a rush?"

"In a rush?" He repeated in disbelieve; "We've been married for over a year! Some people have kids after a couple of months. "

"Baby; those are covering up their drunken sex." Stephanie joked.

"Hypothetically." He paused; "Why didn't you and Steve have kids?"

"You won't tease me about it?"

"I'll try."

"Honestly, I felt something would go wrong." She started; "Nothing had ever went so smoothly for me before."

Kendall nodded; "Would you believe me when I say that despite everything Steve has done; he really loved you? I've never seen him love or care for anyone as he did you."

"Who said he did?" Stephanie chuckled; "Steve wanted everything to go his way and his way only, me, our house, our friends and his work. Exactly the way he wanted." She sighed; "You can't hold the stick from the middle in everything, Kendall; it doesn't work that way in life. And look where that got him." She shook her head; "His work took over everything else. Money blinded him and made him resort to drugs; which in turn made him get into one trouble after another. Until he got into the accident and wanted to blame it on James because people died and he had to leave." She paused as she fiddled with her napkin; "Steve only knows how to love in his own way, for himself. He doesn't know _how_ to think of other people's feelings; their needs. Do you get it?"

"I do." Kendall nodded and turned towards the restroom again; "But what I don't get is why Jo is taking so long."

"Women have to do their thing." She smirked; "Or maybe you managed to convince her to have a baby and she's mentally preparing herself for you to get lucky."

"Haha." Kendall fake laughed and stood up; "Wait a second; I'll go see what's taking so long."

"Wait." She stood up and gathered her belongings; "I got to go anyway. Call me when Logan gets back to you, or if anything new happens. I'll do the same." Kendall nodded and started for the bathroom when she stopped him; "And hey, don't over think it; you'll get a bad headache."

"No promises."

Stephanie watched Kendall make his way towards one of the female waitresses in the cafe, to send her to look for Jo. She smiled and made her way outside the cafe; towards her car. She fished for her car keys from her purse, finally finding them and unlocking the car. She slipped in and was about to turn the key in the ignition when a stranger approached her car and bent down by the door.

"You dropped this, young lady." The fifty-something year old man handed her a small piece of paper with an easy smile.

She thanked him politely as she stared at the paper that held Dak Diamond's number.

* * *

Jo ran a hand through her hair, letting a sigh escape her lips. She reached into her purse, getting out the pills she's been looking for. She got a small water bottle and swallowed a pill, then put the small container in one of the small pockets in the purse, away from any prying eye.

She looked at herself closely in the mirror, noticing the few tears that refused to leave her eyes. She sniffed, picking up her purse and left the vacant restroom.

The first thing she noticed was Kendall awkwardly talking to one of the waitresses. She smiled as he excused himself as soon as he saw her.

"Hey, baby. What took you so long?"

"You really shouldn't ask a woman about what she does in the bathroom. Big mistake."

Kendall chuckled; "I was worried."

"You shouldn't be." She answered, plastering a fake smile on her face.

"Are you really okay?" He pressed.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

* * *

Carlos reached for his abandoned water bottle, unscrewing the cap; "Why did you choose James to partner with in the camp? Why not anybody else? Steve, Kendall," He pointed to Logan; "Or even Logan."

"Business isn't really Kendall's thing." Wayne replied; "After the cafe we all opened together, he kept to himself, comfortable with the money he makes from his office job. Steve had issues of his own, he was already on the run after the accident and it was hard to get to him. As for Logan, it's also wasn't his thing. That and he was short of money; it was barely a year after his father's death and..." He stopped as he looked towards Logan, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"And since my mother disowned me and forbade me from seeing my only brother." Logan supplied; "She also cut me from all the money I once had, including my inheritance in my father's fortune."

"And James Diamond had the money?"

"Of course." Wayne confirmed; "From the cafe we all had. And from his motorcycles business with Steph. I also had some savings and burrowed some money from Chad Andrews; my biological father."

"And Edward Stone?"

"Not again." Wayne shook his head and rolled his eyes; "He had nothing to do with it."

Carlos looked between the two friends then leaned back in his chair; "Who brought Lucy back to the party? James?"

"Not exactly." Wayne replied; "It was the opening day. It was Kendall, Logan, Stephanie and Jo..."

* * *

**Almost One Year Ago; September 2011.**

Music blared from the stereo, everybody were dancing. Logan, Kendall, Jo and Stephanie were sitting around the small camp fire they made earlier in front of the cabin they all rented together.

"Dude, why does Wayne keep moving around?"

"I don't know." Logan replied; "And James still haven't shown up."

"Hey, Wayne!" Kendall bellowed; "Isn't this your party or what?"

"Oh, what can I do?" Wayne asked as he approached, grinning; "James was supposed to be here to help boss the workers around."

"And there he comes." Jo said as she pointed to the small parking lot, where James was coming, a very excited Lucy trailing behind him.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Stephanie snapped as Logan turned to look behind him.

"Why are you asking me?" Wayne replied defensively; "She came with your buddy."

"What's up, little fuckers!" James greeted cheerfully. He gave Kendall a one -armed hug followed by Wayne. A nice hello was thrown towards Jo then he extended his hand towards Stephanie for a handshake.

Stephanie ignored the extended hand and turned her head the other way. Logan jumped in and took James's hand, whose smile had faltered, to avoid the awkwardness that was sure to follow and he pulled Logan into a hug himself.

"Aren't you going to say hi, Kendall or are we all going to be a bunch of scoundrels?" Lucy smirked pointedly at Logan, Stephanie and Wayne.

"Scoundrels?" Kendall repeated; "Of course not."

Lucy shook his hand, the smirk never leaving her face as she eyed Jo; "And there I thought getting married has changed you."

"It did." Kendall confirmed as he pulled Jo towards him; "For the better, no doubt."

Lucy turned towards Logan and smiled softly; "Hi, Logan."

Logan simply nodded and looked the other way, much like Stephanie just did a few moments ago.

"Hey, since we're all in the same place for the first time in a while." James smiled as he reached into his backpack and retrieved his camera; "Let's take a picture so Jo can out us all on Facebook as she pleases." He said, earning a laugh from Jo and easy smile from all of them.

"Hey." Stephanie said as she grabbed the camera from him and turned to Lucy; "Does your father know you're here or did you tell him you're sleeping over at a friend's?"

"I'm not a teenager anymore." Lucy crossed her arms; "He doesn't get a say in this."

"You live under his roof, he should know."

"He does."

"Oh, yeah?" Stephanie taunted; "And did you tell him who you're here with or are you keeping it a surprise?"

"What the hell?!" Lucy turned to James; "James?"

"What's going on, Steph?" James said as he pulled Stephanie aside, away from the group. Once they were out of earshot, he continued; "What's wrong? You haven't been okay since we came in, but this is too much!"

"What's wrong with me?" She repeated in astonishment; "What's wrong with _you_?!"

"Nobody even talked to you!" James said as he saw Wayne approaching; "You're the one coming here all charged against all of us!"

"Did you forget who Lucy is?!"

"You're the one who forgot she's your friend."

"So you obviously forgot what she did to me!" She handed him the camera she had snatched earlier; "There, burn in hell for all I care! Both of you!"

James watched Stephanie storm off towards the parking lot, then Logan excusing himself and following as they had car-pooled in Logan's car. He turned to Wayne; "What?"

"You brought her, you talk."

"Nothing." James replied; "I was at the Mayor's place then she and Edward Stone came while I was leaving and she asked to come with! How can I say no?"

* * *

**Present Time.**

The phone rang and Carlos reached for it .

"Garcia."

"Of course, sir."

"Right away."

Carlos stood up, excusing himself for a minute. As the door shut behind him, Logan turned to Wayne.

"Why did you turn yourself in?" He asked .

"Because it's the right thing to do." Wayne replied simply.

"And Edward?"

"No one can prove anything." Wayne said; "Unless he talked, him or Evans."

"Tell me anything that would help me get you out of here." Logan said; "Help me so I can help you."

"Don't." Wayne shook his head; "For me, please don't get involved in this."

"What do you mean?" Logan ran a hand through his hair; "This easy talk with Carlos is nothing compared to the official i nterrogation, and you want me to just up and leave you here?"

"I just don't want you to get involved in something that you have nothing to do with." Wayne answered; "Stop with the whole 'an eye for an eye' against Evans, it'll get you killed."

"I'm not here because he's involved!" Logan exclaimed; "I'm here for you! Because you're my best friend! Did you forge t that? We are friends."

"I didn't forget it, and because of us being friends I'm telling you don't." He sighed; "Don't get involved. I'll pull through, okay? They have nothing against me and I'll be out before you know it. "

Carlos knocked and walked in again, followed by a couple of other agents. He addressed Wayne as he walked to his desk, the two agents stopping on either sides o f Wayne.

"Wayne, you'll be taken to the actual interrogation now." He motioned for the two agents who were going to accompany Wayne out.

"Take care, alright?"

Wayne nodded and smiled at Logan then followed the two agents out. When the door closed behind them, Carlos turned his attention to Logan.

"You worked for Lucas Evans? In his firm?"

"Yes."

"For the money?"

"Not exactly." Logan answered; "I won't lie, my problem was that I classified my friends rich and poor; even though we all can go rich and go poor, life is full of ups and downs like that. But James, he was the best out of all of us, I can give you that."

"And when the case happened and you won it for Evans, weren't you happy?"

"Of course not." Logan objected; "I didn't even know I was working on that case. Evans had a lot of cases of the same nature, and I didn't know the details about the case I was working on, and the Diamonds didn't know who the lawyer they were opposing was. I didn't know until a few weeks before the final trial, it was already scheduled and everything was over. I tried to warn him that they'll lose it no matter what, but it was too late..."

* * *

**Three And Half Years Ago; April 2009.**

Logan was pacing the perimeter of the Diamond's backyard. He'd called James and asked him to meet him outside, he didn't feel like seeing Jeffery or he'd have broken down; asking for forgiveness.

"What's going on, Loges?" James said as he appeared from the back door; "Why don't you come in? Mum wants to see you."

"Sorry, man." Logan said with an apologic smile; "It's late already and I don't want to disturb you all."

"Don't be stupid, you're my brother." James said as he moved to drag Logan inside; "Come on in."

"Just listen, okay?" The shorter brunette stopped him; "It's important."

"Okay?" James's smile faltered; "You're worrying me here."

"Did you know that Lucas Evans was the lawyer behind the land's case?"

"No, I had no idea."

"Oh, this is bad." Logan sighed; "Lucas says Uncle Jeff won't take any money to drop the case."

"Money from who?"

"I-I don't know." Logan answered; "I don't know what's going on in Evans's head or what he wants to do. All I know is that your father is offered around two million dollars." He hesitated; "I think he should take them up on the offer. It's for your own good, so you won't be losing every thing."

"I know my father well enough to tell you that he won't stop until he has his land again." James replied; "It's his right an-"

"I'm the lawyer on the case!" Logan blurted out; "I didn't know, but now that I do... It doesn't look good, JD, not at all."

James stared at Logan in a mix of disgust and disbelief; "And instead of saying that we should take the money while you' re on our side; you're here to do it from Evans's side?" He shook his head; " Come on, Logan, I just said you're my brother. I'll pretend we didn't even have this talk."

Logan looked down in guilt as James walked back into his house. He shook his head to clear his head then started the walk back across the street to his own house, already feeling that his friendship with James would always be strained from now on.

* * *

**Present Time.**

"We never talked about it again." Logan continued; "But when James started being sure that they were losing the case, no matter what, he kept asking Jeff to take the money. Everything started going south for the family after that. I still live with the guilt of that until now."

"And at last, the land went to Edward?"

"Precisely." Logan nodded; "I don't know if Evans was behind that too, but I do know it went to him."

"And how did it go between you and the Diamonds?"

"Smooth enough." Logan answered; "Better than it went with my own parents, at least. Brooke and Jeffery were very forgiving; they accepted my apology instantly. My dad..." He shook his head; "My dad was pissed. He had a heart attack a couple of days later and my mother blamed it on me. She forbade me from seeing her and my younger brother; she also refused to give me any money. Thank God I already had my apartment by then or I would've been homeless, too. I quit my job with Evans and started my own thing; it took me a while to get on my feet again."

"And how do you think James got the money to go into business in the motorcycles' business with Stephanie?"

"The same way I did."

Carlos chuckled; "And how exactly did you?"

"Street racing."

"Street racing?"

"Street racing." Logan confirmed. "At this point, Wayne's father; Chad Andrews, had already accepted him. Wayne introduced me and I went to him behind Wayne's back with James so he could work on my car. We both raced only when we were short of money, not always. Then he got into the motorcycles' business, bought his own. And so did I. Chad altered them both, a s well."

"Interesting."

"My car and the motorcycle are both in my garage, where I also keep my safe with all the money. If you'd like to take a look anytime."

Carlos nodded, mouthing a faint 'wow' under his breath.

* * *

Kendall tightened his showering robe around his body and threw a towel over his drenched hair. He opened the bathroom door and stepped into his room, drying his hair.

Jo was typing away on her laptop when a cell phone rung. She picked it off the bedside table.

"Baby, it's yours." Jo called for Kendall who had stepped into the walk-in closet; "It's Travis."

Travis Cross was a producer that had his way with the control board; he also played loads of musical instruments. He was with Jo when she and Kendall first met, later; they struck up a friendship that soon evolved into business. Travis had his own studio, local artists went there to record all the time and Kendall used the studio to record the commercials, whether they had a monologue, dialogue or even a song.

Kendall rested the towel around his head and connected the call as he sat on the bed, by Jo's feet.

"What's up, T?"

"How can the sound not work?"

"That one should be handed over in two days, man."

"Okay, fine. Fine, I'll be there."

"I'll come over, okay?"

"Bye."

Kendall hung up the phone and sighed.

"You're going out?"

He nodded; "The sound recorded doesn't match the scenes filmed, Travis and I will try to fix it because dad will be asking for it soon."

"You'll sleep over in the studio?"

"I'll try not to be late." Kendall stood up and dropped a kiss on her forehead; "What can I do? They can't work without your amazing husband's input."

Jo nodded and hid her uneasy smile behind a laugh.

* * *

Lucas Evans relaxed in his seat by his desk. It was late at night and most of the lawyers were already gone, he was almost leaving himself.

He picked his phone up; dialing the number he'd grown to know by heart. He couldn't help his signature smirk from adorning his face when he heard the faint 'Hello' from the other side.

"Good morning, Boss. Sorry to wake you up so early in the morning."

"I just wanted to update you."

"Edward Stone was here and we talked everything through."

"There is other awesome news as well."

"Wayne turned himself in; I didn't need to report him."

"Edward? He's freaking out of his fucking mind, of course. He wants me to accompany Wayne through the interrogation."

"I'll be there tomorrow morning."

"I'll keep you updated, boss."

Evans hung up and smiled. And why wouldn't he?

_Everything was going according to the plan._

* * *

Kendall blew a deep breath as he entered the studio. He saw Travis inside the soundproof sound booth and walked inside.

"I took a shower and was planning to have hot, dirty sex with my wife and you just had to ruin the night with the damn commercial?" Kendall joked; "What's wrong with it?"

"I didn't call you for the commercial." Travis said as he adjusted the microphone's stand; "It's perfectly fine."

"Then why am I here?"

Travis reached into his pocket and unholstered his phone; "This video was sent to me two days ago."

"What video?" Kendall asked as Travis handed him the phone. He saw a few policemen standing around while the one with the higher rank was bent over two figures on the road. The video was taken by a camera inside the police car. He watched as the officer snatched a helmet from the male's hand and delivered a well aimed punch; "What the hell?" He whispered. He glanced up at Travis; "Why would the poli-" His sentence was cut suddenly as he took a closer look at the helmet, which the officer had picked up and smacked the male on the floor with. "Is that... Oh God!" He exclaimed as he slumped down on one of the chairs in the sound booth; the officer had started hitting the familiar figure on the floor with the helmet repeatedly. Then he alternated between smacking with the helmet and kicking the fallen's side harshly; paying no attention to the other petite figure. "J-Jam es! They-He _killed_ him!" He wiped away the tears that were streaming freely down his face, his eyes red with sadness and anger. He lowered the phone and laid his elbows on his knees, resting his head on the palm of his hands; "They killed him...they killed my best friend."

* * *

The next day, Jo walked between the kids quickly, wanting to get to Jenna's desk as soon as possible; to check how the young girl was doing after she talked to her father.

She sat down by Jenna; "How are you doing, Jen?" She asked with a smile.

"Great!"

She smiled at the enthusiasm from the younger girl; "What are you drawing this time? Papi, mummy and Jenna?"

"This is daddy, and this is me. But this is not mummy." She grinned as she turned to Jo; "This is Mrs. Knight!"

"You love Mrs. Knight that much?"

"Of course!"

"I also love you so much." Jo nodded; "But when you try to draw me... We're friends; you draw me with all your friends here in class. And I have my own mummy and daddy, when I draw them; I never replace them with anybody, okay?" The blonde smiled as the student nodded with a grin .

The grin soon disappeared and was replaced with conflict and confusion, both looked cute on Jenna; "But what do I do with this?"

Jo grinned; "I'll just take this one, okay?"

Jo cut the page off and folded it, shoving it into her pocket.

A few minutes later, the kids were sent to the playground for their break, Jo stayed in class, writing. Like she always did when she had time. There was a knock on the door, she turned around to see Kendall by the door, in the same clothes he had on when he left for Travis's studio the day before.

"You pulled an all nighter?"

"I couldn't sleep." Kendall replied as he sat by her.

"Why not?"

"Something happened and I couldn't sleep ." He said as he stared into space; "I was going to Logan's but I opted to drop by first."

Jo furrowed her eyebrows; "What happened ?"

Kendall stared at her for a few seconds and sighed. He reached for his phone and opened the video, handing it to Jo. He watched as her eyes widened in realization, much like his own did. Then he saw the realization merge into fear and panic. Tears cascaded down her face as she started hyperventilating. He snatched the phone from her, ignoring her pleas to let her see it again, he gathered her up in his arms, proceeding to calm his hysterical wife down.

* * *

Please review?

-J


	12. Chapter 12

Late update, I'm aware of that... Sorry? I mean, I DID spend Christmas and New Year's in a hospital...

Anyways! Enjoy reading :)

* * *

"The baby is doing great, Mr. Stone." The OB-GYN on Lucy's case said; "It's responding quiet and growing, considering the circumstances."

"And Lucy?" The old man asked desperately; "Anything new about her condition?"

"The brain bleeding had stopped but she's still unstable;" Lucy's main doctor replied; "It's hard to tell right now when she might wake up."

Edward rubbed his temple in misery; "Is there a chance she might not wake up? Never?"

The doctor sighed; "Cases like this, the ones that are not settled or stable... It's hard to predict what might happen. Anything can happen. But I assure you that we will be prepared for all possibilities."

There was a knock on the door and the short latino, that has been Edward's personal pain in the ass, entered.

"Good morning." Carlos greeted as he approached the three men.

"Good morning, Agent Garcia." Edward nodded.

"How is she doing?" He asked sympathetically; "Is she doing okay?"

"The bleeding had stopped." The doctor supplied; "We're hoping for the best, there's nothing further we could do."

"She'll get better, hopefully." Carlos said and turned to Edward; "I was hoping if we could talk?"

"We'll leave you two alone." The two doctors excused themselves, leaving the two men in the room.

"Anything new happened?" Edward asked as soon as he heard the door click into place.

"Something had happened indeed, but it's not exactly new." He handed Edward a file; "Can you take a look at these?" He watched as the older business man put on his reading glasses, going through the documents with a neutral expression.

"I don't understand." Edward replied finally; "What do I have to do with anything?"

"Excuse me, sir. Your daughter was with James Diamond, on his motorcycle on that night." He said, frustrated; "The same James Diamond, Jeffery Diamond's son. The man who you took his land and dream from."

"Are you trying to say that James is taking his revenge from me through Lucy?"

"What do you think?" When the DEA agent received no reply, he continued; "Your daughter was also in a relationship with Wayne?"

"I already told you before, I don't know! Maybe I saw him once or twice with Lucy and that's it." He forced a smile on his face; "We already met and talked this out nicely, because it's your job and I don't want to interfere but it's my duty to help. But that doesn't give you the right to keep popping up, accusing Lucy with false assumptions! You should be aware who you're talking to, and what's our place in this society."

"Oh, I know very well, Mr. Stone." Carlos replied; "Maybe I should've done this officially and asked to interrogate you but I assure you that the only outcome of that would be the news being all about you and you won't gain anything but a scandal!"

"Are you threatening me?"

"No, I'm not." Carlos said; "I'm just doing my job and interrogating you is one of my own rights to get this case done and over with. This is my right and if you don't know that; your lawyer, Lucas Evans, can confirm it." He sighed and shook his head; "Anyway, keep the documents; maybe they'll refresh your memory."

He smiled sarcastically and strutted towards the door, slamming it behind him and leaving the old man gritting his teeth once again.

* * *

Stephanie leaned against a yellow motorcycle as she dialed the number that was written on the card. When she heard the ringing, she pocketed the small slip of paper and ran her hand over the leather of the motorcycle seat.

"Hello? Dak?"

"Hi, I'm Stephanie King. A friend of James."

She chuckled; "Yes, the owner of the motorcycle business, that's me."

"So you called? You want to sell the motorcycle?"

"Okay, when would be a good time to stop by and take a look at it?"

"Alright then. I'll be there."

"Take care, Dak. I'll see you."

Stephanie sighed again as she pocketed her phone, just as Annie, her secretary approached her.

"Stephanie, Mr. Valentine and Mr. Rocque have been waiting in your office for a while in your office."

"Okay, I'll follow." Stephanie eyed the yellow motorcycle she had been leaning against; "Hey, can you get that motorcycle outside? And prepare me the keys."

"It was sold?"

"No." Stephanie smiled as she walked towards the staircase; "I just want to take it for a spin."

She took the stairs two at a time and entered her office to see Gustavo and another man, who she concluded was Richard Valentine, sitting by her desk.

"Hey, Uncle." She shook hands with the old man, who had stood up upon her entrance. She turned to study the 30 something year old business man next to him. "Mr. Valentine, I suppose?"

"Richard Valentine." The man introduced himself, shaking her hand firmly; "Pleased to finally meet you."

"Have a seat." She said as she walked to her own seat behind the desk.

"Mr. Rocque has informed me beforehand that you didn't accept my business offer." He started; "Can I know why?"

"Because I don't need co-owners, at the moment." She answered; "Simple as that."

The man nodded; "But that wasn't your answer to James Diamond."

"James had known of my love for motorbikes since I've meet him. He came to me with the idea and we did it." Stephanie smirked; "I can't just steal his idea now, can I?"

"But you did take him as a co-owner."

"He came to me with the idea, I studied it and found it would be pretty successful. And we did it."

"Splendid." Richard commented and handed her a file; "Maybe you should study our corporation too, then decide whether you decline, or not. But when you realize that the market isn't that big and that we are in control of it, I believe you'll accept."

"And who exactly are you?"

He pointed to the file on her desk, specifically to the logo that adorned the top left side of the first page; "Griffin's corporation."

Stephanie nodded; "Anything else I can help you with?"

"Can I stop by soon?"

"Absolutely, whenever you please."

Valentine nodded. He was about to get up and leave but he stopped and looked back at Stephanie; "We've talked with Mr. Diamond before, by the way." He said; "He probably ran out of time before he could tell you that we wanted to buy his on-paper share in King's motors." He smirked when she averted her eyes, turning in her seat to look through the large glass wall that overlooked the first floor of her business. "I'll see you soon, Miss. King."

Stephanie stayed in her seat, hearing the door click into place and watched as the man left. She turned again to face Gustavo; "I need to know who the hell is after that guy!"

"I told you everything I know already." Gustavo replied; "You should just read over their file and presentation."

* * *

"Damn, Camille! That's smells awesome!"

"Explains the crazed look in your eyes."

Logan chuckled as he sat opposite her; "What crazed look?"

"Oh, you know." She smirked; "Those cartoons where there's a bear or... whatever. And it's starving and it stares at a something and it turns into a deliciously cooked turkey with like, lines of deliciousness coming off it. That's exactly how you're looking at your plate right now."

"That's an interesting way to put it. And it's not my fault you're an awesome cook!" He said as he leaned against the counter, watching her cooking in his kitchen.

_For him._

"You should be thankful for that." She said as she checked the oven once more; "Otherwise you'd starve and die."

"How did you learn to cook, anyway?"

"Well, my dad studied culinary arts in Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts in Pittsburgh." She answered; "My mum used to hate how he'd invade the kitchen to experiment, but I loved it, he always ended up with delicious goods. We would actually wait until mum left for whatever reason and we'd both hang out in the kitchen and all that."

Logan nodded, a sad smile adorning his face; "Seems like a good parent."

"He is the best." Camille confirmed; "So, Boss, can you please tell me how the hell did you manage to work with Lucas Evans? I mean, honestly, just looking at him disgusts me."

"My ignorance and unawareness. Probably even my blindness to what he was doing with me."

"You? Unaware and ignorant?" She chuckled; "I find that hard to believe with all those books you read, you have a ROOM for your books, boss."

"It's not about how many books I've read, Cam." He replied; "You could read one book that might literally change your life, it depends on your perspective and how you see things. The unawareness I'm talking about can't be overcome by reading and education. You can say that Lucas fooled me completely, he brought out every potential I had; just aimed it in the wrong direction. You know?"

Camille nodded; "And what made you wake up and listen to you conscience or whatever?"

"When I caused damage to my best friend."

"James?"

Logan nodded.

"Can I ask you something else?"

"Go for it."

Camille smiled softly then turned to walk towards the oven so they would avoid Logan seeing the unmistakable blush on her face; "Why are you still single?"

"Uh-I-uh-" She heard him stammer; "Wha-What?"

"Why are you still single?" She repeated as she looked into the over, sighing and closing it again, turning back to him; "I get that feeling that there's someone you just can't move on from. You send off that vibe that you're a hopeless romantic, yet I've never actually heard you talk about someone." She made the walk back to the counter; "Was it Lucy?"

Logan looked down, running a hand through his hair; "Can we just...not talk about this?"

"I just want to see you happy."

"I'm okay." He argued. He was about to argue further when the oven finally dinged, and Logan pushed his sleeves up his arms, grabbing the cooking-mits before she could. He walked to the oven and took out the tray; "That smells really good." He murmured.

Camille nodded and grabbed their plates and utensils and followed him out to the dining room. Logan discarded the tray and sat down while Camille passed him his plate, a fork and knife.

"Nice tatt." She commented as she observed the tattoo that she hadn't noticed before. But then again, she was starting to notice a lot of thing about her boss.

The tattoo was that of a heart, pierced with an arrow. She traced the delicate art with her eyes, watching how the heart was actually split in an even pattern with a knife diving in. The arrow was also broken.

"It means that-"

"I know." She interrupted him; "The heart stands for love and it's position clearly declares that you wear your heart on your sleeve. A heart with an arrow through it; it explains why love is both pleasurable and painful. The knife with the slashed heart stands for the loss of love, most often of a spurned or rejected lover, and the pain of this. It's like a broken heart, just more brutal."

He nodded; "Right. Brutal."

* * *

Dak walked through campus, clinching and unclinching his fists. He walked towards the fountain that was located near the gates, throwing his bag down as he sat on the small benches.

He glanced up just in time to see Ryan Mitchell fast-walk his way to him.

"What's up, dude?" Ryan asked, "You kind of stormed away in the middle of the section..."

"I blew it, I messed up the entire experiment." Dak said as he pinched the bridge of his nose then looked up to his best friend; "Looks like it's going to be another miserable two hours to redo it or something."

"Naaah," Ryan said as he sat down next to him; "I highly doubt it. I could help and we can get it done within an hour, tops."

"No, no. I can do it myself, no need to bother you."

The brunette, who looked like a younger version of his older brother with the addition of the thick-rimmed ray bans, chuckled; "Don't be stupid, D. Come on, let's get this shit done and find something better to do. Something actually productive." Ryan sighed, the small dimpled smile disappearing from his face; "Is this about James? Is that's what's distracting you?"

"Among other stuff." Dak replied; "How was it when Logan was forced out of your life?"

Ryan stiffened; "He wasn't forced out of my life; I shut him out of it."

"Keep telling yourself that."

"If you weren't my best friend, I would've probably kicked your ass by now." Ryan smiled when he got a faint chuckle out of Dak; "Seriously speaking, though, let's get back and get that damn experiment of yours done; we don't need you failing class, bro."

Dak nodded and allowed Ryan to pull him back towards their shared class.

* * *

Wayne looked from the cop behind the desk, then to who once was his teacher in low school; Lucas Evans.

Lucas had the calmest smile on his face as he kept a close eye on Wayne. He knew Wayne was worried out of his head, because Edward Stone's name was brought up in the investigation, and they had to explain how Wayne and James started a project on a land that wasn't their own.

Wayne was panicking.

_This wasn't part of their deal._

But then again, Evans was the one who told everything about how the camp came together, it wasn't Wayne's fault.

"Suspect will be released due to insufficient evidence." The cop said as he leaned back, after interrogating Wayne, he turned to Wayne; "We need an address where it's guaranteed to find you...?"

"He's staying with a friend." Evans came to his aid; "A lawyer, Logan Mitchell." He turned to Wayne; "Give the address."

Wayne nodded and grabbed a pen and paper, writing Logan's address down; "So, sir; when can I return to the camp?"

"The camp has been locked up, it's the followed protocol in cases like these." The cop said; "What do you want from it now?"

"Nothing." Wayne replied as a sad smile graced his lips; "I just miss it. I spent years looking for a place where I can gather with my mum and best friends. And when we finally got the camp, things had already gone south with a lot of my buds; I never really got to enjoy it." He shrugged; "That camp is now my home, sir." He threw a meaningful look towards Evans; "And that's why I'd never thing about letting it go that easily."

"It's not the time, Wayne." Evans instructed him with a glare.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Wayne." The cop replied anyway; "It looks like James Diamond and those friends you're talking about are not the good people you thought they were."

Wayne shook his head; "That's not possible, sir."

* * *

Logan was finishing sending the last of his emails. He had a lot of cases under his responsibility but he didn't find it in him to continue working on them. He was directing all of his clients to other lawyers, who were friends of his and were up to taking over his cases. He was sending emails with the cases files and documents attached, with the exception of the Bitter's case.

It was almost over, anyway, and he was sure he had it in the bag.

"Boss?"

Logan tore his eyes away from the laptop's screen, a wide crooked smile breaking out on his face; the awkwardness of their lunch long forgotten.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Knight is outside, waiting for you. There's a woman with him."

"Probably Jo, his wife." Logan explained; "Let them in, please."

"Absolutely."

Logan grinned as the two entered; his assumption proving to be right when Jo trailed behind her husband.

"Hey, you two!" Logan exclaimed, noticing the grim expressions on his friends' faces; "Okay, why the long face? Are you two fighting again?" He directed his next question to Jo; "What did that asshole do?"

"Sit down."

Logan raised his eyebrows as the two moved towards him, standing on either side o him; "Guys, I really appreciate the gesture but I'm not into threesomes. And I won't be used to spice up your boring sex life." He joked.

But it didn't work.

Kendall pushed him down on his chair, leaning forward to shut the laptop. "Just wait." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, searching through it; "You need to see this video."

"Porno?" Logan blinked; "Dude, your wife is right here!"

"Logan." Jo started; "Please stop joking."

Something about the tone of her voice had Logan looking at her in wonder. He Kendall shoved his phone in Logan's face and played the video he received on his phone just the day before.

The lawyer could hear the sniffles of his friends as he himself shed a few tears at the brutality behind his best friend's death. He kept biting his lower lip, in an effort to stop the tears.

When the video was done, Logan hit the replay button, unable to tear his eyes away from the scene; "How did you get that? It was filmed through a camera in a police car."

"A friend sent it to me, I'm not sure how it got to him."

"Whoever. Tell him to delete it and to pass the message to whoever sent it to him and so on."

"Delete it?!" Jo exclaimed as she rounded the desk to stand right in front of them; "What the fuck do you mean delete it?! Everyone should see this, everyone should be aware of what happened to James!"

"We have to." Logan replied; "Everything should take its course of time, we can't rush it. If we turn this video as it is, we will be charged with faking it; there should only be one video. Only one."

"What are you planing to do?" Kendall asked.

"We'll turn it in. We'll turn the tables, like they did to James and claimed he was a dealer. We'll prove he's innocent; I'll file a homicide case against the cops that lead the bust. We'll find the one who spread the video; he must be one of them; he'll be our prime witness besides the video."

"But a video like that..." Kendall shook his head; "If it got to his family... Logan; they are already messed up. Dead inside. This will just break them even more."

"What do you want him to do?" Jo asked; "Shut up about it?"

"I didn't say that!" Kendall shouted; "But we should be sensitive about this."

"Calm down, guys. Calm down so we can think rationally." Logan said, finally stopping the video. "Kendall's right; we have to keep a low profile on the video. But at least Jeffery has to know. He has to; I have no other option. It has to be one of James's relatives to start the case up; I can't do that on my own." He looked up at Jo, his eyes full of promise and agony; "We'll get them back for what they did; this won't go unpunished."

* * *

Dak and Ryan were leaving their class together. As promised, Ryan helped Dak through the experiment and together, they got it done in a little less than an hour.

They were walking out of the building when Jennifer Woods was going in. Dak turned to Ryan and asked him to wait so they could car-pool home; not waiting for a reply as he caught up to Jennifer.

"Jenny!" He called; "Can we talk for a few, please?"

"Hey, Dak." Jennifer greeted, half-heartedly; "How's it going?"

"How's it going? I've been calling and calling for two days straight, no answer." He frowned; "And you skipped a class and I didn't know who to ask."

"Sorry, I was sick."

"So why weren't you picking up?"

"I-I though... I'd see you here anyways!" She struggled through her answer; "How was that section?"

"I just finished it; Ryan helped." He shrugged, noticing the awkwardness surrounding them; "You always helped me with that."

"Ryan is great."

Nodding when Jennifer missed the memo, he tried again; "Maybe I can wait until you get done and we could grab a bite? How about that?"

"I can't make it today, actually." She replied, adjusting the strap of her messenger bag; "Maybe tomorrow? We could call up Ryan, Toby, Taylor and Sammy and we could all hang?"

"Ryan, Toby...? What?" He blinked; "Since when do we go on dates with them?"

"Well, we don't, but-"

She was cut off when some of her colleagues approached, on their way to the building.

"Jenny?" One of the girls called; "Come on, we're going to be late!"

"Well, Dak; I have to-"

"Jenny, wait!" He called; "I'm not stupid; I know something is up. So just tell me now or I'll keep bothering you until you do."

"Nothing is wrong, okay?" She replied; "I just think that it would be best if we just...took a break for a while; that's all."

"You think or your father thinks?"

"Dak, I just-"

"Is it James? And his case?"

Jennifer was silent for a moment as she ran a hand through her hair; her silence offering all the agreement she felt; "I'm sorry, okay? I should really go, don't want to be late for class."

Dak watched her go, feeling Ryan's hand on his shoulder as the latter dragged him away to the parking lot; saying something about taking his mind off of all the crap that's going on.

* * *

Alrighty, please review and let me know what you think. I'll try to get the next update as fast as I can.

-J


	13. Chapter 13

*waves awkwardly* Hello? Is anybody here? Anybody still reading this? No? Oay, then.

Sorry for the delay, I could stuck with a couple of scenes. On a brighter note, chapter 14 is almost done so maybe another update this weekend?

* * *

"Agent Garcia; am I correct?"

Carlos nodded, taking the older man's hand in a firm handshake; "Precisely."

"Please, have a seat." David Jacobs straightened his crooked tie and sat down; "Drinks?"

"No, thanks." Carlos tried to smile; "I'm not staying that long."

The mayor nodded; "Your chief called me and said you wanted to meet me. How can I help you?"

"Sir, you knew James Diamond, am I correct?"

"Of course." David nodded; "Steve, James, Kendall and Logan were basically brought up together."

"And how was Steve's relationship with James?"

"As far as I know; great." He shrugged; "They all went to the same schools. But then the fall out with the Diamonds happened and James didn't go to colleage; but we all fall down sometimes."

"Do you know about the coffee shop they opened together?"

"I heard of it, I mean don't get me wrong; I care about my son; but I'm also the mayor and I'm not around much." He shrugged; "I don't have any details. But I can tell you that I didn't approve of Steve's side projects beside my company, which he took over once I've been elected, or his lifestyle. He always does what he wants, with no consideration to anybody else."

Carlos nodded; "As a father, do you think that this might be James's influence in Steve?"

"I don't know, maybe. James was the quiet kid you should fear; it's always the quiet ones, right?"

"There was a bit held over Jeffery Diamond's land; sources assumed that when Edward Stone won it; he didn't pay any thing."

"Yes, but I'm not aware of any details. I wasn't elected yet at that point."

Carlos chuckled; "I'm sorry, I just find that kind of hard to believe."

"What do you want me to know so I can help you?" The older man smiled.

"I don't know; anything that can help." Carlos shrugged; "James's father buys a land from Lucy's father. Then the government takes away the land and gives it to Lucy's father, who starts the camp project with James and Wayne. Then James happens to die and Lucy just happens to be with him. It just seems so far fetched for all of this to be a coincidence."

"That's just the dynamic of the group that is confusing." David shrugged; "I wouldn't be surprised if it's just a coincidence."

The latino nodded, realizing he won't get a straight answer out of the older man. He stood up and extended his hand; "I should be going, thanks for your time, sir."

"No problem." David smiled; "And I'll dig up the files on the land's case, try to figure stuff out."

Carlos made a move towards the door and stopped. He turned around to face the mayor again; "One last question. As a father; do you know where Steve is?"

"Don't worry. If he did anything wrong, he'll be punished."

* * *

Katie walked towards the closed door, juggling the carton Starbucks tray she had she knocked.

"Ry? Open up!"

"Coming!"

She heard shuffling behind the door and finally Ryan opened the door to his room; ushering her inside. "Hey, you."

"Hey." She set the tray on the small table and handed him his coffee. She turned to Dak, who was staring at his laptop; sighing every few seconds; "Who killed his puppy?"

"I never had a puppy." Dak interjected.

"Jennifer." Ryan shrugged.

Katie walked towards the couch, sitting beside Dak and looking at the screen. She chuckled; "Facebook? You look like that because of Facebook? I didn't even know you had a Facebook account!"

"He needs some cheering up, Kat." Ryan said, dropping on the couch on her other side.

Katie nodded; "Seriously, D? You have a Facebook account and you didn't even bother to add your best friends."

Dak shrugged miserably; "I had it to talk to someone but I don't think I need it anymore; she even unfriended me." He chuckled miserably; "Four years gone to waste."

"Talk to us about it." When he shook his head, Ryan continued; "Come on, man! We're brothers; we tell each other everything. That won't stop now."

"Aha, like how you still refuse to talk to Logan?" When Ryan averted his gaze, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose; Dak sighed; "Sorry, dude."

"It's okay."

"So?" Katie asked; "What's doing on, D?"

"There's no story, Katie." He sighed, closing his laptop; "James pretty much demolished everything on his way out of this world; including the one person I thought would be a constant in my life. She left me because my brother was a dealer."

"Do you even believe all the shit that's coming out of your mouth?" Ryan exclaimed.

"Dak; there's no way James was a dealer. I can't believe that you actually said that!" Katie replied. She paused then continued; her voice getting louder; "And let's be clear here; even if James was a dealer, which he wasn't, if she couldn't stand by you at a time like this then she would've have stood by you ever."

Dak looked at her and frowned crossing his arms.

"Come on, Dak. You know Katie has a point." Ryan supplied; "If she could handle to have your back in the middle of this family crisis then she's unreliable and frankly; not worth it!"

"And please don't say that we hate her." Katie interjected; "You know Jennifer and I are good friends but that wouldn't stop me from pointing out her wrongs."

Dak was about to argue back when his phone started ringing. He checked the caller I'd before accepting the call.

"Hey."

"You're here, already?"

"Sure, dude; I'm at the Mitchells', okay? I'll be right over."

"Yeah, see you in a minute."

Dak hung up. He stood up, searching for his laptop bag, stuffing the laptop into it; "Kendall's here, he wants to see me."

"Kendork is here?" Katie asked; her eyes lighting up; "I'm so coming with you. That prick doesn't call anymore!" She tugged at Ryan's hand; "Come on, Ry. Maybe he'd take us to dinner or something."

Ryan chuckled and they both followed Dak outside.

* * *

Logan leaned against his Harley Davidson motorbike, parked beside Kendall's Car in the Diamonds' drive way. He spotted Dak coming out of his old house, right across the street, sighing heavily when Ryan came into his sight. He tapped lightly on Jo's window and Kendall stepped down.

Kendall rounded the car and stood beside Logan, watching the approaching trio.

"Are you going to tell him about it?" Kendall whispered, his gaze never leaving their siblings.

"No." Logan replied.

"Hey, guys!" Dak smiled, hugging both men tightly.

"Hey, little D." Kendall replied while Logan nodded.

"Kendork!" Katie jumped into Kendall's arms, hugging him tightly. She untangled her self from his arms and engulfed Logan is a similarly tight hug. "LogieBear!"

Logan hugged Katie back; his eyes never leaving Ryan. His younger brother, who was an exact replica of himself, stood awkwardly watching the interaction. He greeted Jo and Kendall warmly and stood back.

"Hey, Ry." Ryan blinked and tugged at his shirt, refusing to acknowledge his older brother's greeting. "Ryan?" Logan repeated. "Come on, brother; I've missed you."

"I don't have a brother." Ryan replied coldly.

"Ryan!" Dak whacked Ryan's arm.

"Ryan, just-" Logan cut himself off, running his hand through his disheveled hair; looking completely and utterly miserable; "I don't want my problems with mum t-"

"She's not your mother either!" Ryan hissed; "You're a fake, Logan! After three years, now you don't want her problems to get between us?! Which brings me to the next point; we don't have problems between us. We have my father's life! You killed him!"

Ryan shoved Logan; the latter stumbling backwards; hitting Kendall's car with a thud. He spun around on his heel; storming towards his house.

Kendall looked at Logan in concern when Logan closed his eyes and sighed; he was almost sure the lawyer was holding back his tears. Katie was torn between consoling someone who she considered as close to her as Kendall or just staying quiet. Dak just stood awkwardly, waiting for the moment pass while Jo shook her head; not wanting to get involved.

_Because Ryan didn't know._

_But they all did._

When Logan opened his eyes; Kendall could see them guarded and somewhat cold. The same way they were when Lucy broke him.

"Umm, I need to see your father." Logan said; not commenting on Ryan's outburst. "But I don't want Mamma Brooke to think something is wrong."

"Is something wrong?"

"No, no." Logan replied; "Just want him to hire me, officially, so I can defend James on the case. I need his permission."

"What good would that do, Loges?" Dak asked; "James is dead."

"It would matter to Wayne."

"Wayne?" Dak scoffed; "Wayne came here yesterday; he said he was running! He had money and wanted us to take it. What money is that, guys? Drug money? Did you send him?"

"Wayne didn't run away, Dak." Kendall told him; "He turned himself in yesterday."

"Wait, what?"

"Listen, Dak." Logan started; "I know you're confused and you don't get all the shit that's happening; but I need to see your father as soon as possible."

Dak nodded; "Sure, okay. Well, come on, all."

"No." Kendall declined; "I was hoping Jo and I can take Katie out for dinner." He turned to Katie; "We have a lot of catching up to do."

"Okay."

After saying their 'Goodbyes'; Dak led Logan towards his house.

Kendall led Katie to the car and both got in, noticing Jo typing away on her laptop.

"People don't even follow blogs anymore; stop writing for yourself." He commented; "Go back to writing in the paper."

"Over the internet is better."

"Then your afraid."

"Can you give me one good reason why I shouldn't be?"

Kendall stared at her for a few seconds then sighed; shoving his keys into the ignition.

"Where to, baby sister?"

* * *

"Do you still live alone, Logan?" Jeffery asked.

"Not really." Logan answered, a small smile on his face, dreading the moment when he'd tell Jeffery about the video; "I mean yes, but my assistance comes really early in the morning before I even wake up and leaves at night; so I'm almost always never alone."

"Just your assistant?" Brooke asked; "Baby, you know you can call and visit anytime. And with your mum and Ryan..." She trailed off, shrugging.

"It's okay; I'll live."

She nodded; "I'll prepare something to eat." Brooke said as she stood up; "Dak has been over at Ryan's and we didn't really eat dinner yet, anyway."

Logan nodded and followed Brooke with his eyes, until she disappeared in the kitchen. He turned to Dak and threw him a meaningful glance that the younger brunette understood.

"I'll go help mum."

And with that, Logan was finally alone with the older man.

"Mr. D?" Logan started; "Can we... talk?"

"Of course, son."

"Alone? In private?"

Jeffery frowned; "Sure, Logan." Jeffery stood up and escorted Logan towards his office, closing the door behind them. He lead the young lawyer towards the couch and sat down, waiting for Logan to speak his mind.

Logan looked around the office, spotting different drawings of building and projects Jeffery had worked on before. He kept looking around at the brilliant designs, trying to prepare a strategy to approach the subject at hand.

"Is it something about James?"

Logan sighed, running a hand through his hair; "Mr. D; I just want you to hold yourself together when you... hear me out, can you do that? It's not easy it all; wasn't for me, either." The old man's eyebrows met in worry and confusion as Logan continued; "I really hope Dak and Mama D don't know anything about it either."

"Logan, I won't hold myself together with the way you're handling this..." Jeffery said, his voice quavering.

Logan sighed; "There's this video..."

* * *

"Jo, have you seen my cell phone?" Kendall asked as he stepped into their room.

Jo was in the bathroom, removing the little make up she had on. They'd just came home from their dinner with Katie; "I haven't seem it since you called Dak. Check my purse, babe."

"And where's the-oh, wait. Found it." Kendall knelt down, picking Jo's purse from her dresser. He moved towards the bed and rummaged through it; coming up with more than he had bargained for.

He held the bottle of bitter pills in his hand, shuffling it between his long fingers.

_Why?_

Kendall switched the bottle for the a folded up paper. It looked to him like a paper ripped from some sketch book. Opening it, his eyes widened in realization as he observed it closely. It was a drawing of stick figures, a man and a woman, holding hands with a little girl in between. There were arrows coming out from the figures, labeling the man as 'dad', the kid as 'Jenna' and finally; the woman as 'Mrs. Jo'.

"Did you find your phone, Ken?" Jo asked as she left the bathroom.

Kendall held up the items in his hands, watching his wife's eyes widen in alert. Sighing, Kendall kept studying the pills with a murderous glare.

"What's that?" He finally asked, handing her the paper. She could see it was the picture Jenna had drawn a few days ago; of Jo and Jenna's father; Mark, where they were holding hands.

"What, Kendall? It's the little girl I told you about. She's just a kid; she doesn't understand anything."

"And why did that innocent little kid, who doesn't understand what's going on, draw you and her father holding hands?"

"Are you really going to go there?"

"Then explain this to me." He snapped but she didn't reply; "Fine, what about the pills? why? Don't you love me?"

"I love you and you know that."

"Then why are you taking birth control pills? You make me use a condom and then use the pills too? Are you hating the idea of having a kid with me that much?" He exclaimed as he grabbed her arm a little bit too roughly; "Why don't you want to have a baby with me?!"

"I don't want a baby!" Jo shrugged him off, wincing at the pain that shot through her arm; "I'm free to choose to not have a baby!"

"Free? You're not free! You're free when you're picking whatever to wear when you're going out!" He snapped as he stood up, throwing the pills away; "We're married, Jo! Do you understand that? Married! Our life together is a company! You're my partner, my soul mate! And I'm yours! We make decisions together; we discuss our choices! You can't just make up your mind to what you want and I'm supposed to automatically adapt!"

"That's our life to you?" She asked; "A company?"

"Oh, come on!" He ran a hand through his hair, pacing around the room; "You know exactly what I meant, so don't play stupid. Company meaning that we chose each other, that we love each other. And we agreed on it, we said the 'I do's. Any decision; we make together. Do you get that?"

"I don't want to have a baby!" She said; "Can't you see how dark it is to live here?"

"What the fuck are you talking about? You don't get to talk about how dark and difficult life is! You driving the sickest car and living in a house others dream of having! Other families have kids and they live in a one bedroom apartment! A hole in the wall, literally! We have amazing jobs and living the best life!"

"You're the one living the best life! Seeing everything from inside your little bubble, you like your life because to you, life is just a commercial!" Jo argued; "A good picture, to die for colours and gorgeous models. But that's not the truth; the truth is that life is dark. It's difficult and dark. When the cops are running around murdering citizens! People like James, like us! An-"

"The truth is that you're selfish." He cut her off; "The truth is that you're crazy. The truth is that you don't understand anything but you think of yourself as a 'know-it-all'."

"I'm not crazy." She shook her head; "I'm telling truths. Facts. Facts that exist in my writing; my writing that you keep saying I should publish in a newspaper or something. Maybe if you thought of actually reading it, you would've understood where I'm coming from." She shook her head; "At least then; you would've known me."

Kendall chuckled sarcastically; "What I know now is enough."

He snatched his phone from her purse, touching his pants' pockets to make sure he had his wallet and car keys, then he left the room.

A second later; Jo heard the front door smack shut.

* * *

Logan walked into his house, tossing the keys carelessly on the coffee table. He walked to the couch, and threw himself on it, resting his head on the pillows. He let a heavy sigh and ran his hands through his hair, his eyes shut. He couldn't get the image of Jeffrey's face out of his mind; the way the old man looked at him after Logan showed him the video. He didn't expect it to be easy, but he had no idea it would be this difficult.

_It almost hurt physically._

"Boss?" Camille's voice was tentative; she didn't want to alarm him.

Nonetheless Logan jumped in his seat.

"Camille," He rubbed his eyes and looked at the brunette who was standing in front of him; "What are you still doing here?"

"I wanted to wait for you..." Camille trailed off. Logan raised an eyebrow, and her gaze fell on her shoes "Wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Camille twirled a lock of hair between her fingers, a telltale sign she was feeling uncomfortable; "A lot of things happened lately. Friends came back into your life, others left without it being their choice." She dared a look to his face; "And I can see how tensed you are this past couple of days so I..." She paused and a nervous chuckle escaped her lips; "It's stupid, but I just wanted to be sure you'd come back home and you'd be okay."

"Thanks." He grinned tiredly; "I really appreciate your concern."

Camille returned the grin; "Well, I better get going then."

"Wait, what?" Logan glanced at his wristwatch; "It's almost two in the morning; there's no way you're leaving so late."

"I need to get some sleep and-"

"I do have a guest room." Logan argued; "Come on, Cam. I know you don't have a car and there's just no way you're leaving alone."

"Fine, boss." She caved and walked towards the guest room; "I'll go prep the room."

"Hurry up!" He called after her; "I was planning to get drunk tonight; I'm going to need my companion-slash-therapist type of thing."

Thirty minutes later, Logan and Camille were both wasted on Tequila and Scotch, sitting on the couch surrounded by the empty liquor bottles. The young lawyer was blubbering away drunken, his words slurred.

"Then he was like; 'you're not even my brother' and I wanted to just explode! I mean, seriously!" Logan rambled; "I miss talking to him! I don't know what to do! I've tried, I've tried for an entire year to talk to him but he always rejected my calls! I'd see him and he'd just walk away, like I was never a part of his life!"

"And now he's blaming you?"

"And now he's blaming me!" He slurred; "And I have no idea what am I supposed to do, I mean should I try to kick some sense into him or just give up completely?"

"From what I understand, he trusts Kendall." Camille suggested; "How about Kendall talks to him?"

He chuckled, sipping his bottle; "And risk my mother bashing Kendall too? Nah, I'll pass."

"There's gotta be something." She tried; "Dak would probably know what to say, considering his…. difficult situation."

"I'll just wait and see how that unfolds…."

* * *

Short, I know. Please leave a review. Even "that sucked" would be great.

Till chapter 14.

-J


	14. Chapter 14

Fast update, as promised. Kinda.

Now, there's gonna be a lot cuts between scenes down ahead, mostly because a lot of them take place at the same time. Hope that doesn't annoy you all.

Without further ado; Enjoy :)

* * *

Stephanie pulled the yellow motorcycle into a smooth stop in the driveway. She hopped off the bike, took off her matching yellow helmet, resting it on the seat.

She walked to the front door and knocked. A few seconds later, the door was pulled open and she found herself looking at Brooke Diamond.

"Good morning?" Brooke asked with a look of wonderment on her face.

"Good morning, Mrs. Diamond." Stephanie greeted; "I don't believe we met before, personally. I'm Stephanie King; James's friend."

"Of course, I knew you looked familiar." Brooke nodded; "Please, come in."

"My condolences." Stephanie said as she followed Brooke inside to the living room.

"You're Steve's wife, right?"

"Ex-wife." Stephanie corrected.

"Sorry." Brooke sat down, gesturing for Stephanie to do the same; "Steve was like my own. His mother died when he was just a kid and his father was always on business. He'd come here and have sleep overs with Jamie, Ken and Logie. They'd play hockey or soccer and I'd buy a new vase every few days to replace the one they broke."

Stephanie found herself smiling at the mental image of the four boys running around, bringing havoc and mess all over the homey house.

"Umm, is Dak here?" The younger woman asked; "He was supposed to show me James's bike, he told me you want to sell it."

"He's not here, actually."

"Okay, then." Stephanie stood up; "I'll come back for him later."

"No, no; none sense!" Brooke shook her head; "It's not everyday a friend of James's stops by. Well, actually; Logan was just here yesterday, but that's not the point; he's like my own."

Stephanie raised her eyebrows in surprise.

_Logan was here...?_

"Can I get you something to drink?"

"I wouldn't want to be a bother."

"None sense." Brooke insisted; "Coffee?"

"Well, if you'll let me make it, then so be it."

"Absolutely." Brooke stood and ushered her towards the kitchen; "This way."

Stephanie grinned, shrugging off her leather jacket and following the older woman inside.

* * *

Logan groaned quietly, his right hand sneaking it's way up to his forehead, rubbing it gently. Another groan escaped his mouth as the body pressed against his own stirred lightly.

_Wait... What?_

His bloodshot eyes flew open, meeting with the mass of brown hair and the naked body of his intern spooned against his own.

_Shit. Shit! Shit!_

Logan untangled his limbs from her own slowly, careful not to disturb her sleep. He turned to edge of the bed, spotting a used condom on his bedside table. He shook his head and stood up, reaching for his boxers, slipping them on. He took the condom and went to the bathroom, discarding it in the trashcan.

Slipping his boxers off, he stepped into the shower.

_This is going to be a long morning._

* * *

Kenneth Knight's frown deepened on his face as he stood in the middle of his son's office; right by the foot of the couch. Kendall was asleep on the couch, his head resting on one arm while his legs were propped up at the end of the couch.

Kenneth shook his head, he knelt down and sat on the wooden coffee table.

"Kendall?" He tried calling softly; "Wake up, Kendall." When he didn't get any response, he tried shaking the younger blonde; "Come on, Kenny; wake up."

Kendall finally cracked open an eye.

Upon seeing his father kneeling by his side, he sat up, swinging his long legs off the couch and rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Morning, Father."

"Good morning, son. Why are sleeping at the office?" Kenneth wondered; "Don't you have a house to crash in?"

"Ummm, there was trouble with the sound for the commercial and I stayed with Travis all night trying to fix it." Kendall shrugged, looking down; "I thought I'd crash here instead of driving so late."

Kenneth chuckled; "You know, Kendall? Back in the day; a man would crash at any place but his home in one case and one case only. When he was fighting with his wife." He shook his head; "Weird; huh?"

"Dad, please." Kendall sighed; "I can't deal with the teasing right now."

"I wasn't teasing and I'm not saying that to upset you." He shrugged; "When I see you trying to play me and feed me your lies; I only want to make you understand that you're a really horrible liar. And that's a good quality, actually." He stood up, off the coffee table and dropped beside Kendall on the comfy couch; "So? What happened?"

"Not much." Kendall looked down; "My wife doesn't want to carry my baby. She thinks I'm the government's bitch, basically, as my commercials only portrays a small part of the truth. She doesn't like my job, too." He shrugged; "I just thought I better leave the house for a couple of days or something, so we can both have a break and time to think things over between us."

"She told you that...?" Kenneth asked, surprise evident on his features.

"She didn't need to." Kendall chuckled humorously; "It was just so obvious in her voice."

"But why would she date you, get engaged to you and eventually married to you if she doesn't like pretty much all you do?"

"I don't know..." Kendall leaned forward, his head finding its place between the palms of his hands while his elbows rested on his knees.

_He was miserable._

Logan flipped the eggs and rested the frying pan on the cooker again, reaching for a plate while listening for the shower being turned off in the bathroom. He put the eggs on the plate and turned towards the island, discarding the plate. He grabbed a chair and sat down to start his breakfast.

A couple of minutes later, he heard his room door open and the hesitant footsteps echoing in the silent apartment. Silently, he stood and walked to the microwave, heating the already prepared plate of eggs and bacon for Camille, who was wearing her clothes from the day before, all wrinkled. Offering her the plate with a smile and a soft 'good morning', he joined her to continue his breakfast.

"Do you have aspirin or something?"

"Yes." Logan nodded, "But you're not getting any for the hangover. Aspirin is a blood thinner, just like alcohol, and can intensify its effects. Tylenol can cause more damage to your liver with alcohol in your system and Ibuprofen can also cause stomach bleeding. So, no. And no coffee, the pain will for for a while then come back worse." He stood up and walked to the fridge, taking out a jar; "Bananas, however, along with eggs and water, work like a charm."

Avoiding his eyes, Camille reached for the juice, pouring some into her glass; "Thanks."

"No problem."

A few minutes of silence passed and Logan finally finished the most awkward breakfast of his entire life. After washing his plate, he slipped into his room and got dressed for the day. Ten minutes later, he came out to find Camille playing with the food on her plate with her fork, her other hand pressed to her forehead, rubbing gently.

"Hey." He spoke gently as he sat on the stool next to her; "Hangover still bad?"

"I'll be fine." She replied, feeling his hand rub her back gently.

"You should keep drinking water and take some vitamins."

"This isn't my first hangover."

Logan nodded and stood up; "Okay, you know what? I'm not doing this. This whole awkward phase? Yeah, it's not my thing. I did it once, didn't really work for me." He pinched the bridge of his nose as he searched for words; "I'm-uum. I'm going out right now to give you time to think. I like you and I've liked you for a while now. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry I took advantage of you yesterday like that, this is not me. Bottom line is, I want to date you. Whether you accept or not will not change anything, you're not fired in any case. If you decline, we'll just forget it ever happened, okay?" He sighed; "Just think about it."

* * *

Wayne couldn't wipe the happy grin of his face.

Standing on the deserted beach, watching the waves crash by the sand; he was the happiest he'd been since James's death. This camp, this very small piece of land with the most gorgeous view; was his home. His comfort zone.

_And pretty much all he cared about at the moment._

"There." The masculine voice interrupted his thoughts; "I brought you to the camp, now what?"

"Thank you." Wayne whispered softly and took a deep breath of the fresh air, staring into the water.

"What are you thinking about?"

"In the camp..." Wayne trailed off and tore his gaze away from the water, and settled it on Lucas Evans; "You told the DEA and the cops that the land belongs to Stone, what am I going to do?"

"So what?" Lucas chuckled; "They had to know sooner than later. Plus, there's a contract between you and Edward."

"Contract." Wayne repeated, sarcasm dripping with his voice; "You know damn well that this contract is all bogus and won't help me in anyway."

"Listen; right now, Edward doesn't give a fuck about the land or the contract or whatever shit. All he cares about is Lucy staying out of this entire case."

"Aha." Wayne nodded; "I need to meet him."

"Meet him?" Lucas wondered; "Why?"

"There's just... unfinished business between us."

"What's that about?"

"I can't." Wayne turned back to the ocean; "That's between me and him."

"You meeting him right now is not in Lucy's favor." He smirked; you're a suspect in two cases, murder and dealing drugs. You're probably being tracked right now."

"I know that." Wayne nodded; "All your valuable lectures are still stuck in my head. But you have to help me because you're the only person who can."

"Fine, I'll see what I can do." Lucas shrugged; "But until then, you have to shut up and lay low until your situation in the case is clear."

"Okay, okay. I will shut up and lay low; but you'll get me what I want because we both know you can."

"I will, I told you I'll help." He chuckled; "I just don't understand how Steve Jacobs would be in a partnership with you of all people. I mean, how did you get in on the Cafe project anyway?"

"Steve had nothing to do with that. It was JD's idea, that's all."

"James Diamond?"

"Yes. We had many failed businesses before but when we opened the cafe; it blossomed. We didn't even pay anything at the beginning to jump-start it."

"What? How?"

"As I said, it was JD's idea..."

* * *

**Five Years Ago.**

It was one of those days where the guys would gather at Logan's apartment and have their game night.

"I'll fold." James said as he looked over his cards then turned to Steve; "Why don't we open a coffee shop?"

"Coffee shop?" Steve repeated, taking a long drag from his cigar; "Why would we do that?"

"Because we all sit here everyday doing absolutely nothing." James shrugged; "Each one of us is trying to work on his own but get shot down. Logan's barely getting paid, Kendall hates working with Kenneth, you hate leading your dad's company and Wayne and I are jobless. So why don't we try it together?"

"Logan!" Kendall called to the kitchen; "You better come, man. This is good."

"Yeah, just a second!"

"So how's it going to be?" Kendall asked James.

"Just a regular coffee shop and bakery."

"I like the idea..." He replied.

"See?" James smiled; "Kendall's in."

"Kendork is in what?" Logan asked as he walked into the room, a tray of beer bottles resting in his hand. "What's going on?" He set the tray on the table and grabbed one for himself.

"James want to open a coffee shop."

"Hey, that sounds nice." Logan nodded; "Something that's guaranteed to work, you know? I mean, people stop for coffee and quick snacks all the time; that business would be great."

"Aaaaand Logan's interested!" James nodded.

"Well, they can be interested all they like." Steve smirked; "If you all have the money then we start talking."

"We do." Kendall chuckled and turned to James; "Look, we can do this without Steve, if he's to keep going on how he wants the biggest share. I have the money to fund this."

"Nobody said anything about the money, dude. We won't pay anything." The tallest brunette shrugged; "We'll do this entire thing with other people's money."

"Okay, you've lost me." Wayne said.

"You're throwing a party in a few days, Steve, right?" When Steve nodded, James continued; "Among the noise, we'll have a small stand written on it the name we're going to pick for our place. When attendees ask, you'll just say it's your place that's opening soon. you'll use you business charm and lure people in; we need investors. There will be some designs, made by Kendall, for the place. We'll get a couple of those loaded pals of yours to fund us, we'll pay the rent, get your old man's help with the permits and jump-start the shop. We'll pay back our sponsors once it starts making money."

"Wow..." Logan said as he sipped his beer.

"Yeah." Kendall agreed.

"And you guys say I'm a smartass fraud?" Wayne shook his head.

"It's not fraud if we're going to pay back."

* * *

**Present Time.**

"I'm impressed." Evans commented; "I'm truly impressed..."

"Yeah." Wayne walked towards one of the cabins, sitting on the stairs; "James was a smart guy."

"So the coffee place was owned by the five of you?"

"Yeah. The only place we found was actually a restaurant, so we worked with it." Wayne nodded; "Logan had made the contract for all five of us. But then Steve went nuts, he wanted to open other branches and shit. We didn't have the money for that."

"And what happened?"

"We were making great money, just not enough to expand. Three years later Steve had that accident, people died and a lot of homicide cases were filed against him. He had to flee."

"And your place?"

"It was sold."

"How? Why would you sell it if it was bringing in good cash?"

"Steve had his share changed from his ownership to his wife's; Stephanie." Wayne sighed; "We later found out that some guys were using our place to deal drugs so Logan folded. He gave away his share to the four of us, with nothing in return. Then Stephanie wanted to sell it because, like Logan, she didn't think it was worth the trouble. James and Kendall, who were opposing at first, caved and eventually so did I. It was sold with so much less than what it was worth." He shook his head; "At that time, we had made a name for us. Our place was one of the best local places, we had a lot of customers. I took my money and James gave his to his father for the case." He raised his gaze towards Evans and looked at him pointedly; "The case he lost, and you sure know how that happened." Evans smirked and Wayne returned his gaze to the clear water; "I think it's clear who was responsible for all the shit here; who ruined James's family and who sent Logan to bargain with money and kept it up until they lost everything." He chuckled coldly; "And surprisingly, I'm sitting right here talking to you like nothing happened even though I should be bashing your face in right now."

Evans threw his head back laughing; "Are you trying to tell me that you're a saint, Wayne?"

"Absolutely not." Wayne chuckled; "I'm not a saint, but my satan has an active conscience."

"Conscience?" Evans chuckled; "That's one stupid, fucked up satan I'm encountering right now."

Wayne nodded and looked the other way.

* * *

"That's it." Stephanie said; "After that my dad died and Steve and I got married."

"You're living on your own?"

"Yes." She confirmed; "Since Steve left."

"You and Steve got the divorce right after the accident?" Brooke asked.

"No, a couple of months after he flew out." She shrugged; "It wasn't going to work." Stephanie sighed; "I'm sorry but I'll have to go now." She left the coffee mug on the table; "I already gave you a headache."

"It's okay." Brooke smiled; "I enjoyed your company very much."

"Please, tell Dak I stopped by?"

As the two women stood up from the living room couch, the front door opened and Dak walked in.

"Oh, hey, Stephanie."

"Hey there."

"Have a seat." Dak said as he moved to escort Stephanie back inside.

"I had a seat two hours ago, Doc, you're a bit late for that." Stephanie stopped him; "Can you show me the motorcycle so I can see what we'll do with it?"

Gathering her motorcycle gear, Stephanie bid Brooke good bye and stepped out on the porch, just as an old lady, about Brooke's age walked into the Diamond's front yard. After exchanging a wave with Dak, she headed towards Brooke, who was standing by the door.

"Who's that beautiful lady, Brooke."

"That's Stephanie King, JoAnna; Steve's ex-wife." She shook his head; "Come on in."

Meanwhile, Stephanie followed Dak to the garage and watched as he opened the mechanical door.

"There it is." Dak said as he walked in, gesturing to wards the covered motorcycle; "It's been parked since they brought it."

Stephanie smiled as she gently removed the cover, tracing the black motorcycle with her fingers, her eyes watering slightly.

"Dak, nobody is buying that motorbike but me, okay?"

"Of course! Absolutely." He chuckled; "I don't even know anybody else who would be willing to buy it."

"I'll send someone from my mechanics to fetch it tomorrow." She said; "He'll take and repair it and we'll see how much is that." She reached into her pocket, retrieving an envelope; "This is a small share of whatever it will cost."

"I say you keep the money until we know how much will it take to repair it."

Stephanie thrusted the envelope into his hands; "Whatever it is, keep those now."

"Okay, okay."

"Walk me out?"

"Sure."

As the two walked towards her motorcycle, Stephanie picked up the conversation again; "How's colleage?"

"Great. So far so good."

"Yeah, you're lying." Stephanie concluded; "Troubles with Jennifer?"

"Oh..." Dak raised his eyebrows, a hand ran through his hair; "James was kind of talkative, wasn't he?"

"He bragged about you all the time because he loved you." She chuckled; "Once he started talking about you, there was no stopping him."

"You know, I suddenly realized that James had a lot of friends that I knew nothing about." He looked down as they reached her motorbike; "And right now, I feel like I didn't even know him that well. Like he was just someone using our home as a place to crash, a hotel."

"Tell me who you're friends are and I'll tell you who you are." Stephanie shrugged as she put on her leather gloves; "Just because you don't know us, doesn't mean you didn't know him, or that he didn't love you." She leaned against the bike; "And while we're in it, you know Kendall, Logan and Steve. You know where to find me if you want to talk, anytime, and I'll tell you everything about me and him."

"Okay."

"You'll call me?"

"I'll call you." He confirmed.

"If you didn't I'll come and get you."

Dak chuckled; "Nah, I'll call."

She zipped up her jacked and put on the helmet, swinging her legs over the bike; "Take care, Dak."

* * *

_He wasn't comfortable._

Walking through the cemetery and between the headstones; Carlos Garcia was the farthest thing from comfortable.

He found his way to that particular headstone, guided by the figure in black. Slow tears made their way down his face as he approached, leaning down to gently put the flowers by the head stone.

"Missed her?"

"Of course." Carlos responded; "I miss her all the time, everyday."

"Doesn't look like it." The man commented; "You haven't been here in two weeks."

"I got busy with work, couldn't find time."

"I understand." The man took off his sunglasses, finally looking at Carlos; "You should still visit your wife regularly, Carlos. Sasha must've missed you all that time, even the dead feel, son."

Carlos wiped his tears away; "I didn't mean to snooze out; It'll never happen again, you have my word, Mr. Sullivan. And he'll pay for what he did."

"Don't tie your life up to the sole purpose of revenge, Carlos. That will get you no where. And whatever you do, the dead never come back to life."

"Maybe they don't. But those alive who are guilty of sending someone to their death... Those aren't even living."

Carlos casted a last look at the headstone before turning around and going back to his car.

_Sasha Sullivan-Garcia was dead and Steve Jacobs is going to pay._

* * *

"You look like you had a rough night." Stephanie said as she sat next to Logan on the couch in her office; "You're okay?"

"Nothing." He said abruptly. "Anyway, I think that someone is behind James's thing; that someone planted the drugs on him without him knowing... I think... I think he was killed, too."

"What do you mean? Why? How?"

"Those are just suspicions at the moments, just theories of what might have happened; nothing more."

"But who would want James's dead?" Stephanie asked; "What good would that bring to anyone?"

"That's what I'm trying to know, right now." He propped his crossed legs on the coffee table; "You two worked together and were together the most; who do you think might benefit from his death?"

"I don't know, maybe Edward Stone?"

"That's not possible, he wouldn't do that to him when and put Lucy's life on the line." He shook his head, I don't think so." Stephanie nodded absent-mindedly while twirling her fingers, a tell-tale sign that she was deep in thought; "What's wrong?"

"Gustavo brought up something a couple of days ago, that someone wanted to work with me." She narrowed her eyes; "Really weird man, called Richard Valentine, if I remember correctly. When we met, his talking was threatening and crap; almost like he was giving me ultimatums. Then at the end; he said that he talked to James before and that they made a deal. But I'm sure James would have told me; he always told me everything concerning our business."

"What did he say?" Logan asked, frowning.

"Just what I told you. You know, cold and threatening." She rested her elbow on the arm-rest; "But Gustavo was all worried and insisted I meet Valentine, it was all just weird. He works with Griffin Corporation or some shit like that."

"Griffin?" He repeated; "They're like one of the richest corporations in Miami. Look, I'll try to dig up something on them, okay? Don't worry about it. But listen, Steph; if Valentine called again; meet him."

"I don't like his kind of people, Loges."

"You're a good judge of character, just meet him until I get to something. Or until we know what exactly does he want."

Stephanie's phone rang and she picked it up, while Logan rested his head back on the couch, letting his eyes drop.

"Hey, Jo."

"Are you okay? Something wrong?"

"I don't know, you sound weird."

"Well, where are you?"

Logan's head snapped up, waiting for Stephanie to end the call.

"I'll come by, okay?"

"Bye."

"Is everything okay?" Logan asked as soon as she discarded her phone.

"She said she is but she wants me to drop by during lunch break." Logan sighed and nodded, looking away; "Logan, what are you hiding from me?"

"Nothing?" It came out more as a question and Logan mentally smacked himself for being just a horrible liar. Not wanting to tell Stephanie about the video yet, he searched for the next big thing; "I... Well, I might have slept with Camille last night."

"Might have?" She chuckled; "You either do or you don't."

"I did." Logan confirmed; "I was drunk. We.. We were drunk. And we did it."

"And what?" She smirked; "You slipped out of the bed early in the morning and left like the dirty man-whore you are?"

"I'm not a man-whore." He smiled; "And no. I mean, I did slip out of the bed to shower. But I made breakfast. I mean, I didn't want to be there when she woke up, things might have been awkward lying naked on the bed, you know?"

"And it wasn't awkward later?"

"Worst." He ran a hand through his hair; "She was all awkward and not talking about it and all."

"Aha." She nodded, understandingly; "But you made her breakfast. Isn't that like the ABC of 'I want a relationship after fucking you all night because I liked it'? Specially after a one night stand?"

Logan laughed quietly; "Well, she didn't seem to acknowledge that."

"So? What happened then?"

"Well, I just told her that whatever happened didn't affect her internship and I offered her a relationship." He shrugged; "It was just what came to mind at that instant and I left her to think about it."

"I don't think I would've done things differently. I mean you assured her that the job is safe and told her you liked her." She smirked again; "And since she obviously likes you back, I don't think you should be worried." Stephanie ruffled his hair slightly, earning a light smack on her hand; "Finally, you are going to be with someone who's actually worth it."

"Lucy is worth it."

"She was worthy of your affections at some point." She shook her head; "But she's definitely not worth the heartache."

Logan nodded; "Come on." He stood up, let's get outta here."

"Hang on, I'll get my keys."

Stephanie walked to her desk and started digging many keys from the first drawer.

"Can't you get a key chain already, sleaze-ball?" He joked, earning a couple of pens chucked at him, which he easily ducked.

* * *

Their was a knock on the door and the Chief of the DEA looked up from one of the cases' folders in front of him.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open and Carlos walked in, closing the door behind him. He walked to the chief and nodded in respect.

"Yes, Chief?"

"Have a seat."

Carlos shook his head and kept standing in front of his superior; "I'm good."

"How's the case going for you? I heard Wayne's testimony came in last night." He raised his eyebrows; "Did you know who was there with him?"

"Lucas Evans."

"They told you?"

"No, It's just logical." Carlos rubbed his temple; "Edward Stone is lying, all what he's saying is just tenuous and makes zero sense to everything else we know. Edward knows Wayne very well, I'm sure of it, but..." He shook his head; "Wayne isn't the problem. What's more important is the person who is directing him; he's just... a gear in a machinery, they all are. We should be hunting down the main engine here. If Wayne was involved in the drugs, he was probably dragged into it; he doesn't seem like the type of man to get involved in that on his own."

"Up till now, nothing was found on him."

"There's some serious secrets between those group." Carlos said, his hand dropping to his side; "And they're keeping those between them for James. If we could get between them, we will be on to something; an outbreak, in this case."

"What do you think should be the next step?"

"I'm thinking of trying to mingle between them, I'm just not sure what would be the best approach that wouldn't draw too much attention to me."

"The problem with this case is that all of those kids have friends in high places." The Chief shook his head; "And their parents; tons of connections. With the exception of Mitchell, of course. I doubt JoAnna Mitchell would help him."

"I'm used to that." Carlos shrugged; "It's okay."

"It won't be okay when it comes to Steve and Mayor Jac-"

"Nobody is above the law!" Carlos snapped; "You taught me that when I first came here! Steve's on the run and his parties were nothing but drugs and one of his best friends turns out to be a dealer; that just can't be a coincidence!"

"We don't want issues with the big men." The Chief said; "This case keeps getting more and more complicated, and I have a feeling you're right; that they're all just gears in a machinery."

Carlos nodded; "Any other orders, Chief?"

"The link between James and Steve; I don't want you to take it personally." The older man instructed; "I think I'm being clear here. And If you want to step down and leave the case; I won't hold it against you."

"I don't back down."

* * *

"Wait, wait; slow down." Stephanie said as she sat opposite Jo in the school's cafeteria; "Who's Jenna and who's Mark?"

"Jenna is a little kid in one of my classes." Jo told her as she took a bite off her sandwich; "Her parents are separated, that had a tremendous bad effect on her and I think she has suicidal thoughts. Mark is her father."

"And how do you know her father?"

"I don't know him; I asked to meet him and we did once to talk about his daughter, because at that point I didn't know why would Jenna have those thoughts." She shrugged; "Her father said he'd do his best to handle the situation and he did; Jenna got better. But then she drew this picture of me and her father and Kendall saw it. I tried to tell him it was a misunderstanding but he won't listen. We had a big fight, things blew up and he left."

"That's not a big fight, Jo." Stephanie smiled, assuring the blonde; "I'll talk to Kendall and set him straight."

"It was a big fight, Steph." Jo shook her head; "There was a lot of stuff we both couldn't say that came up in the heat of the moment; neither of us can play pretend anymore."

"Play pretend?"

"Pretend that everything is okay; that all's good and that we're happy. While we're not okay and will never be happy when we keep this up."

"Not happy? You guys are like, my picture perfect couple. You're in love."

Jo sighed; "Do you remember when Steve proposed and you're father told you that you can love all you want but on getting married you should love with both your heart and head? I didn't do that."

"Well, I did." Stephanie chuckled darkly; "Look where that got me."

"Steve is just an odd ball, but your father was right." Jo argued; "Kendall is amazing. He's good looking, nice, charming, generous, rich and I love him. He's perfect, there's no doubt about it; a whole package. But I don't think we can keep going like that."

"Does this have anything to do with you two arguing about kids?"

"Having kids is not the point. It's why. Why would I bring a kid into this world where he might get killed. Where people sacrifice each other for the sake and acceptance of the big whales who had the entire world served to them on a silver platter?"

"Jo, we're better off than a lot of people." Stephanie tried; "Other's have nothing and they adapt; they live and survive."

"They adapt because they don't know better." Jo responded; "They have their own small world that they don't know nothing besides."

"So what? You to leave the state?"

"Do you want to stay?"

"You know damn well Steve wanted me to leave with him an-"

"There's not even a comparison here! Steve was leaving because he killed people." Jo exclaimed, causing Stephanie to look around in annoyance; "Sorry I brought that up. I am." She shook her head; "But it's not safe. Everyday you hear about a guy who got beaten to death or the girl who got raped; it's not a safe place to bring a baby into."

"Agreed, it's not safe." Stephanie nodded; "But that doesn't mean that life stops; it goes on. What you're saying is basically that you're moving from your house because you're just too lazy to get off your ass and clean it up. You can't run away from your problems forever. You need to lean to face them."

Jo bit her bottom lip, looking around the cafeteria, observing other teachers who were engaged deep in other conversations.

* * *

After spending the entire day at the camp, Evans and Wayne were on their way back to Miami in the former's limo.

"So James was hanging out with Lucy to figure a way out to get back at Edward for what I've done to him, right?" Evans concluded.

Letting out a sigh, Wayne answered; "I never said that."

"There's no other reason." Evans stated then he turned to Wayne; "What do you think?"

"I think he got into the camp business to try and compensate all the loss his father made in the case." Wayne shrugged; "A couple of months after the disastrous new year's party; he went back to Miami so he could get his father to come and see the camp. He came back without him and he was kinda...different."

* * *

**Almost One Year Ago.**

Music was blaring, like it always was for the people in the camp. James stood by the ocean taking large swigs from the Vodka bottle held tight in his hand.

Frowning his eyebrows, Wayne continued observing the taller male, just like he had been doing for the past fifteen minutes. Finally fed up with James's absence, Wayne walks reluctantly to the brunette.

"What the hell are you doing, standing here all alone?"

"Right." James sighed; "What the hell are we doing... What brought us here anyway?"

"Work. Money." Wayne answered as he sipped the water bottle in his hand; "Both of which we need desperately."

"You know what, I think I'm running out of time." James said and took another swig.

"What is that supposed to mean, JD?"

"I honestly don't know." James replied; "But it's enough for now; I'm fed up. After everything I've done for my father so I can bring in money and fix our broken home; he called me crazy. For years I've been working after I dropped out of colleage instead of biding my time waiting for an opportunity and he calls me crazy. I'm... crazy. After everything; I'm the crazy one." His eyes kept darting all over the place as he tossed the now-empty bottle of Vodka with all his might towards the water and repeated; "I'm the crazy James Diamond." He turned to Wayne who stood looking at him with an expression of bewilderment; "Am I crazy, Wayne?" He asked, receiving no answer. He grabbed Wayne's elbow and shook him out of his surprise; "Answer me, damn it! Am I crazy?!" Wayne looked down and James ducked slightly, trying to make Wayne look at him; "Look at me, Am I crazy?!"

"Would you calm down?" Wayne asked calmly; "What is wrong with you? You're not crazy, and everybody loves you."

"Nobody loves me!" James snapped; "Don't say everybody loves me, nobody does! People don't love anymore; they seek their interest and benefits! They love themselves, that's all the love they know! That's all the love they're capable of!" James's eyes widened slightly, "Oh, shit I am crazy. Shit."

"You're not crazy, you're drunk." Wayne reasoned.

"Doesn't liquor bring out the truth in people?"

* * *

**Present Time.**

Evans held the lit match to his cigar. He took a couple of deep drags then put off the match; "He didn't tell you what happened between them?"

"No, he didn't." Wayne shook his head; "James was a complicated guy, it wasn't easy to understand him."

"Have you seen Logan?"

At the abrupt change in topic, Wayne almost cracked a smile; "Yes." He turned to Evans; "But I don't know anything about him. Not for a while anyway. Why, boss, do you miss him?"

"Of course, I do. He was one of the most valuable assets in my firm; great loss." He turned away, observing the cars passing by; "And I heard he was with you in the DEA, before they took your official testimony."

"So what? He's my best friend, James's too." Wayne shrugged; "He's always had my back, so why in the world would he stop now?"

"Why didn't he accompany you to the official testimony?"

"And what are you exactly? An accountant?"

Evans chuckled; "So you know I'm with you in this?"

"Hell yeah." Wayne smirked; "You wouldn't risk me saying anything you don't want to let out. I'm surprised you told about the deal with Edward."

"Well, what's right is right, Wayne."

Wayne nodded; wondering about the shit he'd gotten himself into.

* * *

"Hey, dude." Jett greeted as he barged into Carlos's office unannounced; "Thought I'd pass by before I call it a night."

Carlos's smile was cut off by a yawn; "Anything new?" He asked, eyeing the file in Jett's hand.

"Yeah." Jett nodded, looking through the file for a particular thing; "These are all the pictures from Lucy's laptop, I think you should see this one." He handed Carlos a picture of Wayne and Edward at some party, both looking at the camera, standing at a small table alone; "And Stone goes about how he doesn't know Wayne or met him once, he has like thirty pictures with the dude."

"Looks like I was right about Edward." Carlos nodded as he studied the picture.

"Not only that." Jett handed him a folded newspaper; "That's tomorrow's paper; see the front page."

"An expected revelation in the camp case. The land is owned by well known business man, Edward Stone." Carlos smiled; "Wayne stepped up in the testimony, didn't he? He spoke."

"That doesn't matter. Now that Everything is out in the open, Edward will have to cooperate; he has no other choice."

* * *

Logan fiddled with the door knob. He'd been pacing the life out of the hall carpet outside his apartment for half an hour.

He didn't know what he'd find when he pushed the door open. He didn't know if Camille was even there; what if she left a note telling him he quit? What if she's there just to tell him she will leave? What if she she's waiting to tell him that it won't work out between them?

_But what if she was in there to tell him she wanted to give things a shot?_

Oh well, he was about to find out anyway.

* * *

And done for now!

Anyway, please review; let me know what you all think.

See ya when I see ya!

-J


	15. Chapter 15

I am VERY disappointed with the very first scene. I've never been disappointed in a single scene before. Yes, I thought some scenes were just badly written but I never was disappointed in them. *Sigh* I didn't want a cliche and I ended up turning them into one without even noticing...

Anyway, Enjoy.

* * *

"Hi." Camille greeted as she sprang off the living room couch.

"Hey." Logan nodded and walked towards her; "Have you thought about it?"

"Y-yeah, I did." She responded.

"So?"

"I just don't think we're going to work out." Camille rushed; "I hate this."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take advantage of you like that an-"

"Not this." She cut him off, gesturing towards them; "I meant this, all of it. I've practically been living here for two years. I wake up, come over, we work I go home, I sleep and so it goes. My life has become dependent on you without me realizing and I just... I don't want to bring more of you into it; if that's making any sense."

"It does." Logan answered, silently cursing Stephanie for giving him hope; "I'm sorry, if it feels like I'm taking over your life, it's not intentional on my account. I can work out a schedule where you can have days off and breaks and stuff."

"You don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?"

"My problem is that I don't mind, Logan." She responded; "My problem is that I don't mind being here, I don't mind you taking over my life. I don't like it; but I'm happy with it."

"And now you completely lost me..." He furrowed his eyebrow; "So is this a yes or a no...?"

"It's a no." She answered; "At least for now."

Logan looked down and nodded, a hand rising to run through his hair; "Okay, I understand."

"No, you don't."

He raised his eyebrow; "So what if I don't? It won't change anything; not how I feel and not what you decided."

"I'm really sorry."

* * *

Everything seemed blurry to Carlos as he was kept back by a couple of paramedics. He kept screaming for them to let him go, but they wouldn't budge.

"Please, I have to!" He said as he kept pushing against the two of them; "She's my-I gotta get to her!"

"Sir, you're bleeding, we have to get you to hospital."

Ignoring the words of one of the paramedics, he finally managed to break through from their grasp. He ran with all his might and jumped over the yellow tape the cops had used to keep civilians out of the scene.

Finally getting to the brunette in question, Carlos slid on the floor, scrapping his knee badly on the concrete floor. Walking the last couple of steps on his knees in a crouch, he finally reached her. Scooping her head, he lifted if slightly to place it in his lap, using his shirt sleeves to wipe blood away from her face.

"Come on, baby." He whispered softly as he handled her head delicately; "Stay with me, Sasha."

Carlos jerked in his sleep, his eyes popping open as he sat up, rubbing his forehead. He sat still for a while, trying to collect himself, only to jump us again when his alarm clock blared through the empty apartment. Hitting the dismiss button, Carlos stood up, gathering some fresh clothes from the mess all over the room and walked slowly to his bathroom.

* * *

Brooke watched from the porch as a couple of men strapped the black Harley Davidson to a small winch truck. She sighed and walked back inside to join Joanna and Jennifer, who've been at her place all morning.

"Happy now?" Joanna asked as soon as Brooke joined the two women.

"More of relieved." Brooke answered. "Everyday I'd see it and I'd just remember what happened. Where James is and where he could've been if he was still here. I'd remember how I have nothing anymore."

"You still have Dak." Jennifer reminded her; "He's a great kid."

"I pity him." Brooke replied.

"Why? You have no reason to." Jennifer replied.

"Right." Joanna nodded; "He's doing absolutely great, despite recently losing his brother. He's trying to step up."

"He's seen a lot for his age." Brooke started; "He saw his parents die, then Jeff going through the lawsuit and now James." She shook her head; "He's seen a lot already and I just want to make him happy for a change."

"Why don't you work?" Joanna suggested.

"Work?" Brooke repeated; "You're kidding, right?"

"No, No. Joanna is right." Jennifer urged; "Why don't you reopen the dinner you two owned together?"

"We sold that dinner because it didn't work." Brooke answered; "And I don't have the money to finance another dinner."

"Why don't you just work from your kitchen then?" Jennifer asked; "Do deliveries."

"Did you even hear what I just said?" Brooke chuckled; "How would cooking for strangers make Dak happy?"

"So what?" Joanna chuckled; "Do something with your life, Brooke. You're not that old and you deserve to have a job."

"I don't know..."

* * *

"Kendall." Olivia called as she walked into Kendall's office in his father's company; "Travis called and he said he finished the commercial and will be waiting for you in the studio to finalize stuff and approve." She sat on one of the chairs opposite Kendall, waiting for the blonde to respond. "Kendall? Kendall!"

"What?!" Kendall asked, finally tearing his eyes away from his laptop; "What's wrong, Olly?"

"You still have your phone off?" She asked; "Travis has been trying to reach you."

"Uh, yeah. Battery empty."

"I have a charger."

"I don't wanna recharge it." He replied, going back to his laptop; "I'm leaving in a few anyway."

"You're going to Travis's studio?"

"I'll call him and arrange something later."

"Hey, was the weed Mr. Kenneth found yours?"

"Huh." Kendall raised his eyebrows towards her; "So dad sent you to spy on me?"

"You really deserve to sleep on that couch, you know that?" Olivia said; "You know damn well that I'm the only person who've had your back in this place since we both started working."

"Okay, okay." He chuckled; "Calm down, woman. And to put your mind at ease, the weed isn't mine. I don't do weed, happy now?"

"I wasn't asking for me, I'm asking for you." She argued; "You know your father has 'spies' everywhere around you; so just take care, okay?"

"Don't worry, I got myself covered."

* * *

Being called to an emergency meeting wasn't all that strange in the DEA. But being called to an emergency meeting to discuss one particular case was all shades of weird.

"There's been a case filed." The chief stated; "Against the police department and the DEA concerning the death of James Diamond." He sighed; "Apparently the officers on the bust took it too far; beat him to his death after he fell off the motorcycle with Lucy Stone."

Carlos straightened up in his seat, his ears perking up; "Was it someone from the DEA, sir?"

"I don't know any details." The chief shook his head; "The video was leaked from one of the cameras in the police car. We don't have any details, I'm sorry."

"What about the agents on the case?" Jett asked; "Aaron and Devin? What did they say?"

"Aaron and Devin are both on a leave." The older man answered; "They both asked for time off right after the bust. I didn't see much of a problem so I granted it."

"But sir, if that spreads; we'll have a target on our backs." Carlos said; "Hell, James's friends won't even help anymore and I doubt they'll talk in an official interrogation either!"

"James's friends know." The chief answered; "Or at least the lawyer knows; he was the one who filed the case."

Carlos cursed mentally. Logan was one of the most valuable assets; he knew the most and he wasn't hostile. Carlos thought that of anybody was supposed to help uncover this; it would be Stephanie, Logan and Kendall. And just the possibility of losing their assistance tore at him. Wayne was involved in the case; he'd be more reserved and hostile. Jo was nice enough; but Carlos didn't think she knew much. Dak and his parents didn't see much of James as of lately. As for Steve...

Carlos wouldn't stand to be in the same room as him, if he actually shows up.

He wished Lucy wasn't in a come. She was the key to everything.

"...and I want you to move fast, you two." The chief continued; "I want to know how the hell were those drugs smuggled and dealt, as soon as possible." He turned to Carlos; "And you have been going back and forth with those people for two weeks and you got to absolutely nothing, do something!"

"Excuse me, sir." Jett started; "We found out that James and his friends had been regular visitors in a place called Begley's. It's owned by Dan Begley; Ed Begley's son."

"Ed Begley?" The chief repeated; "Environmentalist Ed Begley? Congress man Ed Begley?"

"Yes." Jett replied; "But I think his dad disowned him after the scandal; Dan was caught having sex in public with a street whore; one of Zues's women."

"Oh, God, what a mess!" The man exclaimed; "Why does it have to be like that? Why do all the people have to have parents like these?" He rubbed his temple; "What the hell is this messed up case?!" He turned back to Jett; "What does Dan have to do with the case?"

"Nothing at the moment." Jett replied; "But Carlos and I need a warrant to visit the place."

"I told you, you two have all the access you need." The man said; "Name it and you have it; but I need this case closed in return. Soon."

"Yes, Sir."

"Dismissed." The chief said, waiting for the other agents to leave. He caught up with Carlos, holding him back from leaving; "I'm not trying to pressure you, I know you're a serious guy and you care about your job more than anything. I just don't want you to sleep on it."

"I'm not, sir." Carlos replied; "I'm just looking for the best way to get in between that group, and this murder thing won't exactly make it easier."

"I know, son." The chief sighed; "I know."

* * *

**When we were young, life was easier. Our instincts telling that tomorrow is so far away and that someone we know and love dearly will surely be a part of it; that gives indescribable comfort. Maybe when my mum left I felt more alone than ever. Maybe it was when the group was drifting apart. Or was it when James passed away?**

**I'm not sure...**

Jo observed the kids as they worked though some exercise; letting the pencil slide over the white paper, now full of her elegant handwriting.

There was a knock and Jo turned towards the door, watching as a familiar face peeked in.

"Daddeeeeeeeeeey!" Jenna cheered as she jumped off her chair; running into Mark's open arms.

"Good morning, Mrs. Knight." Mark greeted with a brilliant smile; "If you'd excuse me for barging in; I have a few snacks for the kids."

"Of course, Mr. Slavinski." Jo nodded; "Please, do come in."

Mark gave Jenna the plastic bag he had and asked her to distribute them among her friends. He walked towards Jo's desk; "Sorry, I just love kids." He said as he shook her hand and sat down; "Jenna is surely the best thing that has ever happened to me."

"She's lovely."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Are you Jo Knight?" He asked; "As in the same Jo Knight who has a blog on the internet?"

"That would be me, yes."

"Oh, wow." Mark smiled; "I'm so happy to meet you, I'm a big fan! Why don't you publish it? Like in a newspaper or something."

"I don't know; I just feel like my writings are kind of personal." She replied; "I don't think a lot of people would understand my point."

"None sense; I always enjoy it thoroughly." Mark argued; "And hey, I know someone; he's an editor. You could send him your stuff. I mean, you don't even have to go; just e-mail them."

"That would be great actually."

Mark reached for his phone and searched through his contacts. He asked for a pen and a paper and wrote down the editor's information for Jo; "That's the least I could do after you helped with Jenna."

"Thank you so much."

* * *

The nurse opened the door and ushered Logan inside, he walked in timidly, hand wrapped tight around the bouquet of flowers. He thanked the nurse and watched as she left, closing the door behind her.

He walked to the hospital bed, studying Lucy. There was a thick bandage wrapped around her forehead, here hair was all over the place; the usual red streaks were now long gone. To him, she looked so pale and small in the hospital gown.

He discarded the bouquet gently on a table in the corner and walked to Lucy's bedside. He bent down, carefully avoiding all the medical tubes and the IV, and placed a feather-light kiss on her forehead. He stepped back and made his way towards the foot of her bed, leaning against it slightly.

* * *

**Three Years Ago, The Day After Logan Fell Off The Horse.**

Logan stood leaning against the stable fence, watching as the horses ran around.

"How are you doing today?" Lucy asked as she approached him from behind.

"I've been better."

"I'm sorry." She said.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." He replied as he kept watching the horses; never glancing her way.

"I don't know how to apologize or any of that stupid shit, you know? I've never apologized for anything in my life before." When Logan continued ignoring her, she extended her hands and reaching for his face; turning it towards her. Planting a hard kiss on his lips, she finally had his attention; "I'm crazy, that's as much as you're gonna get. For your own good, we should just stay friends."

"We can't stay friends if you keep kissing me like that." Logan said, causing her to smirk slightly; "Also, there's no crazy person who would admit they're crazy out loud. Or even between themselves."

Lucy was about to reply when she heard Wayne calling her name. She turned to Logan with apologic eyes before she took off towards one of the cabins that the group had rented at Begley's.

"Stephanie is happy with Steve." James commented as he approached Logan a few minutes later.

"You shouldn't be okay with this."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"You love Stephanie." Logan argued; "I don't even understand how could you let them get married; especially when you know that Steph has feelings for you too."

"I shouldn't be in love with Stephanie. I am, but we both know I shouldn't." James shrugged and looked down; "I can never give her what Steve is capable of."

"You're better off than a lot of people, J."

"You'd be an idiot if you think so." The taller brunette shook his head; "Stephanie used to live with her parents in a huge house. And when she moved out, she moved into a huge apartment. I still live in my parents' house, Loges."

"You're the idiot, man." Logan shook his head; "At least she has feelings for you; that's not something to take lightly. And this is Stephanie we're talking about here; she believes with her heart. If she loves you, I think she'd be willing to live with your parents if she has to."

"Lucy has feelings for you, too." James changed the subject; "I know what you're going through."

"She doesn't."

"Yes, she does. We can all see it, even Wayne." James sighed; "But this Lucy thing; it's nobody's fault. She changed, Logan. She's lost and none of us know how to help."

"I know how to."

"But she won't let you."

"She's just playing around." Logan decided; "She'll get bored soon and trade him for someone else."

"And soon enough you'll be pissed at yourself for having feelings for her in the first place." James chuckled; "In order to live these days; you have to have more money than normal. But all the money lies in the hands of four or five...thieves; with illegal work. They rob us off of our lives, Loges, and you're falling in love with Edward Stone's daughter? Edward is a thief, Logan. If you pursue Lucy, the end won't be as good as you think it would be. Lucy isn't not the right one for you."

* * *

**Present Time.**

Logan ran a hand through his hair but he stopped when he heard the door to the room open.

He turned to face Edward Stone himself, the older man eyeing him in curiosity.

"I'm Logan Mitchell; I don't believe we've met officially before." Logan introduced himself.

"Oh." Edward shook his hand as a look of realization passed on his face; "You're the lawyer, eh? You worked on my land case right? I'm so sorry; you must have been in a really bad situation with James and Lucy." When Logan looked down and didn't reply, Edward continued; "Lucy talked about you a lot. You and Steve. Would you mind if we sit down and talk?"

"Of course not, Mr. Stone."

"Please, just Edward." Edward ushered him to the couch in the corner; "So tell me what you know about the land?"

"Everything." Logan replied; "The contract between you, James and Wayne over the land, which on paper belongs to Lucy."

"Now we talk." Edwards nodded; "What about the cocaine?"

"Now that's something I know nothing about." The lawyer answered; "All I know is that James would never hurt Lucy; no matter what. And I also know that he would've never smuggled or dealt cocaine, ever."

"And Wayne?"

"Wayne wouldn't deal either."

"I want you to tell Wayne that if had anything to do with putting Lucy through all that, I will take no mercy on him." Edward threatened; "I will burn him alive if he had a hand in this!"

"You can tell him that yourself, sir."

"If I saw him; I'll fucking tear him apart!" Edward snapped; "He's the reason Lucy is in a coma now!"

"We don't know that." Logan answered calmly; "Anyway, consider your message delivered. Excuse me." The younger man stood up and made his way towards the door.

* * *

"And just forward the catalog's email, okay?"

"Absolutely!" Annie nodded and moved towards the stairs, to Stephanie's office.

"And don't forget to lock up! I'm not coming back today!"

Stephanie was almost at the giant glass door when she saw a car slide to a stop smoothly and Carlos stepping off the car. Stephanie pushed open the doors as he made his way up the three stairs.

"Good evening."

"Hello, Agent Garcia." Stephanie greeted politely; "How can I help you?"

"Can we talk?"

"Sure." She made a move to open the door wider; "Come on in."

"Actually, I'd rather take you out for coffee." Carlos said; "If you don't mind, of course."

"Take me out for coffee?" Stephanie repeated; "What's with the nice attitude that we're definitely not used to from any law enforcement department in Miami?"

"It depends on who we're dealing with." Carlos casted her a wide smile; "Just for half an hour."

"Lead the way."

* * *

"So what did you do with the video?"

"Logan, you know him?"

"Yes." Travis nodded from his place by the controls; "We met briefly a couple of times."

"He filed a case against the PD and the DEA." Kendall answered and continued sketching in a sketch book.

"Well, that was fast."

"Didn't you see how he was brutally murdered?"

"But filing a case against those?" Travis retorted; "Dude, that's big!"

"It's the least we can do after what they did. Murder is a huge crime, Travis; regardless of who committed it."

Deciding to change the subject, Travis asked; "How are thing with Jo?"

"Okay." Kendall answered quickly.

_Too quickly._

"It doesn't look like it." Travis commented as he left his seat by the controls and joined Kendall in the couch; "What's up?"

"Nothing, man. Just the normal disagreements." Kendall replied; "Don't mind it." He continued sketching in silence but suddenly discarded the book and turned to Travis; "Hey, Did James go to Begley's before with you?"

"Every once in a while, why?"

"Okay, Travis; we're friends and I won't beat around the bushes with you." Kendall started; "We all know your time in rehab to get over you cocaine addiction; and I know you used to get from someone at Begley's before you stopped. I want to know who that someone is; I want the whole story, Travis."

"Look, one month ago, James came to Begley's. I don't think he saw me. Anyway; a while later, I saw him talking to Dan Begley; you know the guy who runs the place." Travis told him; "His father is congress man, Ed Begley but he disowned him. I was surprised James was even talking to him because that guy... well, he's a drug lord, basically. He also marries old women whom he'd rob and throw anyway, all the while he is banging Zeus's women. Zeus is a pimp, but you don't need to know that."

"Why would James even talk to a guy like that?"

"I don't know, man." Travis shrugged; "But if James had done something to Dan... That's not good."

"You mean Dan could've killed him?"

"Woah, woah! I didn't say that!" Travis backtracked.

Kendall nodded, processing the new information; "Hey, I wanna go to Begley's today. But it would be awkward to go all alone."

"Okay, I can come with."

"Let's go."

* * *

I hate fillers... Do you guys hate fillers as much as I do? Next chapter should have the Carlos/Stephanie 'outing'. A lot of new stuff will be discovered concerning Steve and Stephanie, Lucy and Stephanie and finally, James and Stephanie.

Woo, I'm excited (note the sarcasm)

Anyway; leave a comment; let me know what ya'll think.

-J


	16. Chapter 16

Shattered officially has a new feature besides the Flashbacks! VOICE OVER!

This is fucked up!

Don't even ask how's is there supposed to be a voice over, you'll see it in time.

Enjoooooooy!

* * *

"So Stephanie, your ex-husband, Steve, opened a coffee shop with his friends?"

Stephanie nodded; "That's right; a few years ago."

"And when he fled, after the accident..." Carlos paused as the waiter approached the due; "The cops found..." He trailed off again, eying the waiter as the later took his time placing their orders on the table. "Some guys that were selling..." He stood up and reached for the waiter's tray, getting the bottle of water and the two glass cups, sending him away. He sat down again to continue where he left off; "They found some guys selling cocaine."

"That's also correct." Stephanie answered with an amused smile at the latino's antics; "That's why I sold it. But these guys had nothing to do with Steve or James."

"I don't get it." Carlos shrugged; "How can a woman like you marry Steve Jacobs? The trouble maker? I mean, James introduced Kendall to Jo; he's capable of hooking you up with someone better. Jo, Logan and Kendall know a lot of better people too."

"The thing with Jo and Kendall was just a coincidence; it just happened. But Steve and I..." She sighed; "We happened after a lot of trouble for all of us. He chased me for years, but I never really gave him the time of day. Until my father passed away. At that time, we were all separated. James was swamped up in the case and his home was in pieces. Kendall was in Italy for some sort of a job, Jo and I weren't close at that point. Logan was torn on what to do concerning the case; he didn't need someone to add to his misery. Lucy and I had already had our fallout and as for Wayne... he was just a guy I tolerated for the sake of the group. Steve was the only one there when I needed the help and well; one thing led to another. A couple of months later, we were married."

"What happened between you and Lucy?" Carlos asked; "What fallout?"

"Wow." She chuckled; "Your questions are all over the place, changing subjects so suddenly."

"Sorry." He laughed; "Try to keep up?"

"What happened between Lucy and I was no one other than James Diamond..."

* * *

**Five Years Ago; May 2007.**

"Seriously, guys!" Lucy snapped into the phone; "Where the hell are you?"

"Lost? Are you kidding me now?"

Stephanie chuckled behind the wheel; listening to the conversation.

"Just take a left then the second right."

Lucy hung up and turned to her best friend; "I'm so going to set you up with James!" She exclaimed; "My mind is already put to it!"

"He doesn't care about a relationship." Stephanie argued; "I've been hinting those past few outings that I like him and he's completely oblivious."

"He probably IS clueless, Steph." Lucy laughed; "He is a guy after all."

"Do you know who really creeps me out, though?" Stephanie asked. "Steve. I don't know; he's weird and always tries to pick a talk with me. Never mind the unstoppable flirting."

"Not Steve." Lucy replied, getting a weird look from Stephanie; "I-I mean; Steve is so not your type. He's impulsive and just... Not someone you'd want as a boyfriend. So just stay away from him, okay?"

"Calm down, Luce."

"I'm calm."

"You like him." Stephanie stated with a knowing smile.

Opting to change the subject, Lucy looked in the rear-view mirror; "Hey, That's Logan's car! Sound the horn."

Stephanie did as she was told, watching the car slide to a smooth stop beside their own. Steve was the first to exit the car from the passenger side, James following from the back and finally Logan from the driver's seat.

"Why are you living in such a maze?"

"Said maze is way better than where you live." Lucy retorted right back.

"Dude, his father is the mayor!" James exclaimed; "He lives in the best district!"

"Oh, well. That escalated quickly!" Logan added as he made his way around the car to the women. Shaking hands with both, he started; "So, Stephanie. We're in your region; what are the best places here?"

"I'll probably ditch." Stephanie joked, easily falling to the laid-back mood the other four were sporting; "Lucy will join, though."

"Oh, come on!" Logan chuckled as he leaned against her Jeep; "I obviously didn't drive all the way down here just to see Luce!"

"I can argue with that." James teased.

"Ditto." Steve chuckled, patting Logan's back.

"Such gentlemen, aren't they?" Lucy added sarcastically.

"Okay, seriously speaking now; come on, Stephanie." Logan tried again, adding puppy dog eyes for full effect.

"You're twenty-four, why are you keeping that look up?"

"Because I look absolutely adorable, my dimples are showing and you just can't say 'no'"

"Okay, okay! You're dimples totally got me!" Stephanie laughed; "I will come!"

"Lead the way then." James said as he moved to get back to the back seat of Logan's car, stopping when Steve walked back to the passenger side; "And just where do you think you're going? Go ride with Stephanie; Logan's care car should get a whiff of a female perfume! Come on, Luce!"

"Hey! What is that supposed to mean?" Logan chuckled and smiled as Steve took the passenger seat in Stephanie's car while Lucy sat beside him; "I have girls in my car all the time!"

"Again, I can argue with that."

_That was when I knew Lucy liked Steve. But James was trying to set her up with Logan at that time and he effectively ruined her own plan of setting me up with him, without even knowing. Neither plans worked out, actually._

* * *

**Present Time.**

True to his words; Logan had done his best so things wouldn't be awkward between him and Camille. He'd even made a new schedule for her, where she would be at his place by nine in the morning and out by five at most. This was the first day with the new system; Camille was at his place by six am and now as he entered his apartment at almost six thirty, she was still sitting on the couch; waiting.

_Looks like old habits die hard..._

"Hi." Logan greeted as he closed the door.

"Hey!" Camille smiled; "I made dinner for all of us!"

"All of us?" Logan repeated; "Who's all of us?"

"Oh, that annoying friend of yours; Wayne, is here."

"Well, I thought you'd be gone by now." Logan said with an apologic smile, holding up the plastic bag he had; "I got myself a takeout."

"Oh..." Camille's smile fell; "I'm sorry; I didn't know it'd be a problem if I stayed." She made a move to grab her purse but Logan stopped her.

"Hey, it's no problem." Logan stated firmly; "I love your cooking, you know that. So there." He walked to the kitchen, opening the trashcan; throwing the takeout food in it; "Problem solved."

"Give me five minutes to re-heat dinner?"

"Absolutely; I'll go fetch Wayne." Logan smiled and walked towards his office, where he found Wayne sprawled on the couch, watching TV; "Hey, man. Where have you been since the interrogation?"

"I was staying at a hotel." Wayne answered, muting the TV as Logan sat on the chair next to him; "But I'm running out of cash, can't waste all I have."

"Why didn't you come straight here?" Logan asked; "My address is the one registered at the DEA, anyway."

"Why don't you understand that I don't want you to get in trouble?"

"Too late for that." Logan chuckled; "I ran into Edward Stone today in the hospital."

"You went to see Lucy?" Wayne asked; "Are you outta you're mind?!"

"I couldn't not see her, Wayne." Logan shrugged, looking away; "I just got a feeling and well, I had to see her."

"Mhmm." Wayne nodded; "How's she? H-how's she doing?"

"God, she looks awful." Logan shook his head; "All battered up and bruised. I don't think I've ever seen anybody look as vulnerable in my entire life." He sighed; "Hey, have you seen the video?"

"Yeah, Camille showed me." Wayne shook his head; "Pretty nasty stuff, man. I just don't get it."

"Yeah..."

"I want to meet Edward Stone."

"You should just stop right there and give the old man a break, dude." Logan replied; "He is so sure you're the reason for what's happening to Lucy; he threatened to basically kill you."

"Why the hell doesn't he get that I, simply, had nothing to do with James, Lucy, their cocaine and whatever happened that night?!" Wayne snapped.

"Speaking of which, did you know that James still goes to Begley's?"

"Uh-no." Wayne answered; "Why would he? We all stopped going after Steve's accident."

"I've no idea." Logan answered, resting his head against the headrest; "And I'm kinda afraid to find out."

* * *

"Hey, dude." Travis said; "Do you see that guy walking with the woman who looks at least twice his age? That's Dan. His wife's name is Amanda or something like that."

"How do I talk to him?" Kendall asked; "How do I strike up a conversation about wanting cocaine from him?"

"Oh, you won't!" Travis said; "We had a deal; we no talky you just see him!"

"Just wait." Kendall walked towards Dan, ignoring Travis's calls of 'get the hell back here'; "Dan Begley?"

"How can I help you?"

"I'm Kendall Knight, director; commercials, music videos and all that." Kendall started; "I'm a friend of James Diamond; he told me he knew you."

"And why exactly do you want me?" Dan asked.

"Umm." Kendall eyed the woman then turned back to Dak; "Can I have a minute in private?"

"Absolutely." Dan nodded for the woman, who nodded back and walked off towards one of the tents; "Yes?"

"Well, like I said; I'm a director. And directing needs... an active imagination." Kendall mentally smacked himself at his weird choice of words and awkwardness; "I was told you have what can help me with a serious case of creativity block."

Dan chuckled; "Do you know what I can do to you right now?"

"I know." Kendall answered; "But desperate times... Well; I'll take whatever comes."

"We never talked." Dan shook his head; "Do you understand that?"

"Yes?"

"Good."

Travis waited until Dan was out of earshot before approaching Kendall; "Creative imagination? What the hell, Knight?"

"What?"

"You are really bad at this." Travis chuckled; "I swear, I could've peed my pants laughing at you."

"Oh, give me a break!" Kendall replied; "I've never tried to buy drugs before!"

* * *

Jeffery walked towards the front door, groggy and tired; wondering who'd be knocking on his door at eleven at night.

He was surprised to see the now familiar latino DEA agent on the other side of the door.

"Hello, Mr. Diamond." Carlos greeted with a smile; "I'm sorry I came this late and without any earlier notification.

"It's no problem." Jeff yawned and ushered his towards his office; "You're investigating my son's case; I'd be happy to help."

"Thank you, sir." Carlos smiled; "I won't be long." He sat on one of the desk's chairs and waited for Jeff to round the desk and sit on his own chair; "Just a few questions."

"Of course." Jeff nodded; "Ask away, Mr. Garcia."

"Just Carlos." Carlos said, feeling much more at ease talking to Jeff than he ever did talking to Edward Stone; "You're a well known engineer, you've carried out a lot of successful projects in your day. You were well known and respected, everyone wanted to work with you." He shrugged; "How did they turn against you so fast?"

"There's nothing wrong between me and anybody else; nothing but the land case, which you already know all about." Jeffery shrugged; "Why would they turn against me?"

"You even got awarded many times from the State of Miami for your charity projects." Carlos looked around the office, enjoying the sketches of many building he'd seen himself around Miami; "Suddenly your properties and money are being confiscated, you're being forbidden from leaving the US... It must be something, right? All that just can't happen out of the blue."

"Nothing ever stays the same, Carlos."

"But it doesn't change like this." Carlos pressed; "Not like this." He sighed, reaching into his jacket, pulling a folded newspaper out; "That's tomorrow's paper; take a look."

Jeffery skimmed through the front page, seeing that there was a small update about James's case.

"I tried to warn him." Jeffery started; "But he didn't try to know or understand. He didn't try to understand that the man he was working with had been the same man who destroyed our home and our life. Edward Stone is a thief, Carlos. He robbed all the lands he owns now by forgery; and huge lands worth millions were sold to him with a few thousands.

* * *

**One Year Ago; December 2011.**

"Why would you, of all people, do that?!" Jeff screamed as he slumped onto his chair.

"I didn't know!" James defended; "I swear to God I didn't know!" When Jeff sighed loudly, running a hand through his hair, James continued; "Calm down, dad, please."

"How?" Jeff snapped; "How can I calm down when you're doing what you're doing?! What was wrong with the motorbikes' business? It was great!"

"My share in this business wasn't enough, dad." James said; "Dak's education and providing food for the house and that was it. And when I started this camp; I did it for you, to make your own dream come true!"

"Wrong!" Jeff screamed, standing up; "I told you before to mind your own business! Achieve your own dreams and leave mine to rest already!"

"My dream is your dream." James sighed; "You know what? Fine; I'll get the land back. They stole it and I'm going to get it back for you."

"You won't be able to."

"Stop doubting me!" James yelled; "I'll bring it back, my way. That man has stolen many lands; I'll be his fall. I'll do whatever it takes, dad. And If I have to kill him, so be it!" Jeff sighed and sat back down, James following him; "He has to feel what you felt through all of these years, dad. He has to know what we've been through; what he's put us through."

* * *

**Present Time.**

"Can you prove that? That James was planning to out Stone?"

"Unfortunately, I can't" Jeffery blinked, holding a few tears back; "And even if I did; who'd listen? Who would stand against that-that tyrant? And he has that lawyer; Evans. His right-hand man; his helper."

"I'm really sorry." Carlos said sympathetically; "I will do everything in my power to get to the bottom of this case, to get to the truth. But what you need to know is that there's a voice, louder than you and louder than me and louder than anybody else; that's justice." When Jeff nodded with a small smile, Carlos stood up; "I'm really sorry I bothered you this late, but what can I do?" He smiled, buttoning up his jacket; "It's my job."

"I told you before, Carlos; anything to help you."

Jeff escorted Carlos to the door and picked up his cell phone, dialing a number that he had assigned to the speed dial just two days before.

* * *

"No, no news yet." Logan spoke into his cell phone as he leaned back against the couch's arm-rest. He was sprawled across the couch, doing whatever he was doing on his laptop while Wayne was sprawled against the other side of the L-shaped couch; watching some movie; "I know, I know. Don't worry, uncle; I got this... Of course; I'll call you as soon as I find out something."

After exchanging a few more words, Logan hung up.

"Something wrong?" Wayne asked, tearing his eyes away from the TV screen.

"That's Jeffery Diamond; Garcia just paid him a visit." He sighed; "And the newspapers are full of the fact that the camp land belongs to Stone; these are going to be a tough couple of weeks."

"They'll probably interrogate Edward now, right?"

"Why would they do that?" Logan asked; "He has nothing to do with all of this; but with Lucy now involved; he won't be happy."

"Damn it!" Wayne cursed, rubbing at his goatee; "I won't be able to meet him those couple of days!"

"I still don't get why you even want to meet him…."

"Because of Lucy."

"Lucy?"

"It's not what you think." Wayne replied; "I want to meet him to talk out the land; I'm losing the camp!"

"You should calm down." Logan advised; "I told you; the man will rip you apart if he sees you. Try to fly under the radar those upcoming couple of days until we figure things out."

"Okay..."

"Everything will be fine, Wayne."

"They better be; those are our asses on the line." Wayne was about to un-mute the TV when there was a loud knock on the door. He turned to Logan; "You expecting someone?"

"No." Logan replied as he stood up; "Better not be Garcia or I might punch his face in." He joked as he made his way towards the door. He opened it to find Kendall's tired face greeting him from the other side; "Oh, that's gonna be a good night."

Kendall grinned as he walked in, to see Wayne on the couch; "Damn right; it will be. I didn't know Wayne was here."

"Yeah, we didn't know you were coming either." Wayne replied as he greeted Kendall.

"Food!" Kendall exclaimed as he headed over to the kitchen.

"Camille cooked today, heat something up."

"I will!"

A few minutes later, Kendall was sitting on the floor in front of the couch, digging into his plate.

"I'm sleeping over, Loges." Kendall informed them.

"Absolutely, man." Logan grinned from his spot on the couch; "By the way; why was your phone off all day?"

"I wasn't really in the mood to answer any calls." Kendall said; "I stopped by Begley's today."

"Why would you go there?" Wayne frowned.

"I wanted to see what's up with the James thing and the cocaine."

"What did you find out?" Logan asked.

"Nothing, really." The blonde answered; "I met this guy; Dan Begley; the owner. I was told he knew James." If Kendall or Logan were paying attention; they would've noticed.

They would've noticed the way Wayne froze, looking at Kendall in utter shock, his face visibly paling.

_No fucking way!_

"Wh-who told you about him?" Wayne asked; "Are you sure he has something to do with the cocaine?"

"Yeah, man." Kendall nodded; "Remember Travis? Jo's friend and my sound guy? He was an addict at some point and went to rehab and got all better; Dan was his dealer for years."

"What did Dan tell you?" Logan asked.

"I couldn't get anything out of him; he got rid of me casually." Kendall shrugged; "But he looked weird, married to a woman at least twice his age. Her name is Amanda, I think."

Wayne sprang up from his couch, reaching back with his hand to steady himself on it; "I gotta go, guys."

"What? Why?" Logan asked as he followed Wayne with his eyes as the latter put on his socks and shoes; "I thought you're staying over?"

"I need to see my father, haven't seen him in a while." Wayne lied; "I'll sleep at his place today and get here tomorrow, okay?"

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing is wrong." Wayne said as he pocketed his phone and wallet; "I'll come tomorrow, I promise."

"Don't disappear on us, man!" Kendall called after him.

"I'll keep my phone on!"

Logan and Kendall heard the front door slam shut, their eyes meeting in wonder.

"What just happened?" The blonde asked, setting his now-empty plate on the coffee table.

"I have no idea!"

* * *

Carlos had been organizing the photos and putting them into two categories; photos with Stephanie.

_And another with everybody else._

He heard his cell phone ring loudly and he stood up from his living room couch, walking towards his room. He retrieved it from his jacket's pocket and answered the upcoming call.

"Jett?"

"Yes, I'm at home."

"What's new?"

"What?!" Carlos exclaimed, turning around in his place; "How can we not know that Dan's wife is Wayne's mother?!"

"Fuck! Fuck!" He sighed; "How could we have missed this?"

_Shit had officially gotten real._

* * *

I bet you all didn't see this coming! I sure didn't.

Please leave a review; let me know what you think on those twists in events :)

-J


	17. Chapter 17

A lot of stuff will go down in this chapter. Though I think there will be no Camille in it; which tears at me inside...

Anyway; enjoy :)

* * *

Amanda woke up to the frantic knocks on her front door, she sat up, looking at the alarm clock by her side. It read 1:27 am. She rubbed her temple as she stood off the bed and stumbled on her way to the door.

She looked through the peephole and raised her eyebrows. She opened the door greeting her son warmly.

"Where's your husband?"

"I don't know."

"What the hell do you mean with 'I don't know'?!" Wayne shouted and slammed the door shut, following his mother inside.

"'I don't know' means I don't know, Wayne."

He grabbed her elbow and turned her around so she'd face him; "Where is he?"

"I. Don't. Know." She shrugged his hand off her and walked towards the living room couch, with Wayne following but opting to stand in front of her. "He went out. Maybe he won't return, maybe he'll spend the night out. I don't know. Why do you care?!"

"Were you at Begley's today?"

"Yes." She shrugged; "You know that place? Dan owns it."

"I know he owns it." Wayne answered; shoving his hands in the pockets of his light jacket; "Do you know what Dan does?"

"No." She shook her head; "I don't know."

"He's a drug dealer, ma!" Wayne exclaimed; "He sells cocaine, heroin, weed and ecstasy!"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Amanda yelled; "You're lying, Dan doesn't do that!"

"Your husband is a drug dealer and rumor has it; he was a friend of James's." Wayne said; "I hope you're aware who James Diamond is!"

"All I know about James, I know it from YOU!" Amanda said; "Dan has never talked about him!"

"Mum, help me." Wayne pleaded; "I'm your son! In what world would a woman favor her flavor of the month over her SON?"

"Of course my son; the most precious to me; my entire world." She answered; "And I wouldn't do anything to upset you. But you have to believe me; you have to believe that Dan has nothing to do with any drugs." She stood up and walked to his side, rubbing his back as he looked down; "You should get changed and spend the night here."

"I'm not staying in this place."

"Why, baby?" She asked; "This is your home, Will, not anybody else's. Or did you forget that?"

"I didn't." He answered; "But I'm sure as hell glad you didn't forget it's my home too, and the only thing we got from Chad."

"Even more reason for you to stay." She smiled softly; "But you'll have to spend the night on the couch because your room is probably full of dust bunnies." Wayne nodded; "Okay; I'll get changed myself and we could spend the night catching up; that okay with you?" He nodded again.

Amanda smiled and went to her room, locking the door behind her. She walked to her dresser, looking at the small bags of white powder on it. She opened the first drawer, retrieving her makeup bag and emptying it in a small trash basket in the corner. She put the small bags in the makeup bag except one and zipped it close. Amanda tore the last bag open and emptied it on the dresser's top. She reached inside the drawer and got a playing card and a small tube about three inches tall and less that quarter an inch wide. She used the card to get the powder in one straight line and put one end on the tube in her nose; she bent down, deeply inhaling the white powder and closed her eyes, sighing in content.

Amanda dropped the playing card and the tube in the drawer and shut it, rubbing her nose. She walked to her cupboard to find something to wear for the night.

* * *

Kendall rubbed his eyes thirdly as he sat up. Looking around and realizing he was in Logan's guest room instead of his own home.

He got up and walked out the room, immediately noticing Logan standing in the middle of his office, holding an open folder, rummaging through the documents that were once organized.

"Morning, Logie."

"Morning." Logan smiled, still looking through the folder; "I was about to make some coffee and start up breakfast; do you want coffee?"

"Where's Camille; the coffee girl?" Kendall asked, grinning widely.

Logan raised his eyebrows, finally pulling his gaze away from the folder and turned to Kendall; "I gave her the day off so you wouldn't be bothered; she normally comes around six in the morning and I didn't want you to wake up earlier than you had to."

"You don't look too happy that she's not here."

"I'm not happy that she's not here." Logan closed the folder, discarding it on his desk; "But we can't always get what we want."

"She's crazy." Kendall smirked; "But she's also insanely hot. And you, my best friend, have a crush on your intern."

"And we, my friend, are not discussing my crush on my intern." Logan chuckled; "I'm not discussing Camille with you, man."

"Why?" The blonde asked; "I mean, you're crush is logical and understandable. You two spend too much time together and it's bound to happen, you know."

"I'm not discussing Camille with you."

"You know, I should've believed James when he told me you had a new hot intern and that he thought you two will end up together, somehow."

"We're not together."

"You will be." Kendall nodded and Logan shrugged. He pointed to the folder that Logan was looking through earlier; "What's that? The bank case?"

"Yeah." The lawyer sighed; "The Boltons' case."

"How is it going?"

"I don't know." Logan shrugged; "I'm not sure anymore. I'm sure Reginald is innocent and he didn't do anything wrong, but for him to get out of this; the Boltons have to go behind bars. My question is; are we in a world were people like Bolton get sentenced to jail time while people like Reginald are proven innocent?"

"You know, Logan?" Kendall started; "That man hired you so you can help him, but with your pessimism, man, you're going to get him killed."

"I just don't know anymore." Logan shrugged; "Nothing seems to be going right anymore."

"But we're still here, right?" Kendall pressed; "We're still the same people. You'd be driving home after a long day at work, you see a poor man wondering around, you stop and you try to help. You go home, aching for a shower and good night sleep and you get disturbed by your neighbor at three in the morning, asking for a cup of sugar. You stomp you way to the kitchen and get them the sugar with a smile, anyway. We still dance, we still sing, we still love. We're still alive, Logan." He smiled; "It's those little things in life that keep us on track, that keep us from snapping. And we still, against all odds, have our morals. We were raised to be good people, to see the good in people, however little that may be. So don't start assuming everything is bad because one person is corrupted. Justice is justice, in whatever time in whatever place."

"Stop shoving your optimism up my ass. And I'm just afraid those morals and justice fade away with time." Logan replied; "People fade away with time, Kendall, they die; they change. So how can morals and justice not?"

"You'll just have to keep the faith then, huh?"

"I guess so." Logan shrugged as he walked to the kitchen to make breakfast; "You need to call Jo."

"I'm not discussing Jo with you." Kendall said; "I told you about our...fallout because you asked why I am staying here."

"You discussed Camille with me." Logan shrugged as he got the eggs from the fridge and prepared the pan, another one was next to it with the bacon already; "It's only fair I get to discuss Jo with you."

"I think she's cheating on me."

"Jo? _No way!_"

"Why else would a little girl draw Jo with her father?" Kendall asked; "She's not old enough to imagine a relationship between them; she must have witnessed it."

"No. Way." Logan insisted; "There's no way, man. Just admit it, you two are already walking on eggshells with the whole pregnancy thing; you just assumed that she's cheating because she didn't want a kid and then you found this drawing thing and the rest is history."

"I just don't think th-"

"Just give her the benefit of the doubt." The brunette shrugged as he dumped the eggs and bacon in two plates. He retrieved two glasses and OJ from the fridge; "You two are like, the epic love of our group. There's no way she's been faking it for so long."

Kendall stayed silent for a second, thinking about Logan's words. He rubbed his temple then turned to Logan, who had joined him on another stool by the kitchen counter and was already digging in his plate.

"How's the case going? The video?"

"I normally don't let people change the subjects when it's such a pressing matter but you seem troubled, so I'll cut you some slack." Logan took another bite of the bacon and waited until he swallowed; "I don't want anybody to know about this; we need to be discrete. If the video spreads, we'll be accused of faking it. I even went to Stephanie and I haven't told her."

"Why did you visit Stephanie?"

"I was just-Well, I had some suspicions and I was right." Logan replied; "Some guy went to her; he wanted to buy James's share in the Chinese motorcycles' division thing. He told her he knew James. Maybe he wanted to buy James's share earlier but JD refused." He shrugged; "I'm trying to piece a puzzle together, don't mind me."

"And what exactly makes you believe Stephanie's conspiracy theories?"

"What makes me not believe it? Can't you see what's going on?" Logan sipped his OJ; "Whenever a crisis hits; you need to know who would benefit from it. We're in a crisis; we need to figure out who would be the only possible person to benefit from it."

Kendall sighed, already feeling gears turning in his head.

* * *

Edward sat in the hospital's waiting room, his fingers drumming on the arm-rest. The neuro-surgeon had asked him to step out of Lucy's room to carry out some tests.

He stood up quickly when he saw Lucy's surgeon push the door to the waiting room open. He saw the man approach him, running a hand through his hair, as if searching for words to say.

"Mr. Stone." The doctor acknowledged; "I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"Oh, God."

"You know how motorcyclists' injuries are mostly head injuries?" The doctor asked; "Most of them come here with severe cracked skulls or brain bleeds. Those remain our focus until something else comes up. Lucy's spleen has been bleeding into her abdomen; the bleeding was minimal and wasn't caught on her first scans when she got here. She's been slowly bleeding for days now and we saw that on recent films, if she was awake; we would've probably been able to catch it earlier." The doctor pressed his lips together, pausing to let the new information sink in with the desperate father; "We will need to rush her into surgery; but that will put much stress on her and the baby. She will be at high risk."

"Can she even take another surgery?!" Edward asked frantically.

"We're not sure." The doctor replied; "Surgery is a big risk for her right now, but she'll die by tomorrow if she keeps bleeding. I promise you I'll be observing our head of general surgery myself. We have no other choice."

"There is another choice." Edward glared; "You said the baby will cause too much stress, raising the risks of hurting her in this surgery. You just won't listen."

"How can you even think of murdering an innocent unborn kid?" The doctor shook his head in disbelieve; "Without the mother's go-ahead."

"I'd kill that baby over and over again if it meant Lucy would be okay!"

"Mr. Stone, I want you to know that we're doing everything there is to do so Lucy would be okay." The doctor said; "That's our top priority."

"When will you do the surgery?"

"I have an intern in her room right now, trying to stabilize her pressure, obstetrics and gynecology doctor will be there to monitor the baby during the entire procedure. We will prep her in two hours, at most."

* * *

"Was Steve jealous of James, because of you?" Carlos asked as he sipped his coffee, cradling the mug in his hands.

He had called Stephanie earlier and asked to meet again. She agreed and met him at the same coffee place from the day before.

"Of course not." Stephanie said, crossing her legs; "Steve adored James out of all the guys of the group; I never noticed any weird behavior from him towards James."

"Maybe you didn't notice because you had your attention set on James?"

"Probably at the beginning, could be." She shrugged adjusting her sunglasses; "But then we got married and I was nothing but faithful to Steve; I stood by him in all his problems a-"

"Excuse me." Carlos cut her off; "What kind of problems?"

Stephanie sighed and looked down, tracing the tip of her own cup slowly; "Steve had done drugs at some point." She started; "He wasn't really himself; we were fighting all the time and he was... Well, he was restless all the time, for the lack of a better word. That was a couple of months after they opened their coffee place together."

"He hit you?" It was more of a statement than a question on the latino's behalf.

"I-" She ran a hand through her hair, shifting in her seat; "He wasn't himself, he was high and he didn't know what he was doing." She shrugged; "He was my husband."

"Stephanie, when someone is drunk or high, a lot of truth comes out of them." He replied; "A lot of things he'd normally keep at bay, locked inside. What did Steve say?"

Stephanie kept her gaze fixed on her cup; "He said something along those words you just said..."

* * *

**Almost 4 Years Ago; November 2008.**

The loud crash that accompanied the expensive vase making contact with the floor echoed through the two-story house, shreds of the vase spreading everywhere.

Steve stomped down the internal stairs, Stephanie hot on his tail. He carrying a big five feet long mirror; throwing it at the bottom of the stairs and stepping over it's remains with his boots, continuing his on way towards the living room.

"Would you stop this?" Stephanie shouted; "Why the hell are doing this?!"

"Saving your time, sweetheart." He replied, picking up a small sculpture; "Wrecking the house." He stating simply and threw the heavy article at Stephanie. She ducked, narrowly missing it, and the sculpture hit the ground, breaking into pieces.

"Are you crazy?!" She screamed as his foot kicked the small glass table in the corner, the entire table flipping and shattering on the ground.

"I am indeed!" He shouted back; "I'm crazy for ever thinking that I could marry you! But apparently I'm stupid and didn't get it!" He turned around and stepped closer to her; "Who told James about my cocaine?!" Steve screamed in her face, making her jump slightly in surprise and raise her arms to shield herself, not giving an answer; "Who told him?!" He grabbed her arms roughly; "Wasn't that you?! Why the fuck would you tell him?!"

"I told him because he's your friend!" She replied; "And he's the only one you'd listen to! I care about you, and I'm afraid of what you might do!"

"How old do you think I am?!" He shouted, letting go of her arms; "I'm not a baby, I'm capable of handling myself! And I'm not waiting for James fucking Diamond, of all people, to tell me what to do!" He completed his words with a hard shove to her shoulders.

Stephanie screamed as she lost her balance and fell, her head smacking against one of the stools by the kitchen counter.

"Oh my God!" Steve exclaimed as he seemed to be back to himself. He knelt by her side, using his fingertips to push her back gently to see her forehead; "Steph, baby; I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me; I didn't mean to hurt you. Oh my God, I'm so so very sorry!"

Stephanie pushed his hands away, trying to fight the waves of dizziness that had hit her. "Get away from me!" She said and wiped away at her tears frantically, trying to sit up.

"Of course!" Steve chuckled; "Why don't I call him up for you so you could tell him that I hit you?!"

"Why are you doing this?" Stephanie whimpered as she slid away from him, still on the floor, until her back hit the kitchen counter. She was now sitting between two stools, her knees pulled up to her chest while her hands cradled her aching head; "What did I ever do to you to deserve this?"

"Sorry, baby." He chuckled darkly; "Hopefully I'll die soon and you'd be happy again, eh? You'll run right into James's arms, would you? I bet that would make you happy. Because I'm never going to let go off of you, Steph; not until I'm dead." He leaned closer to her; his voice rising again; "Do you hear me?! Not until I'm dead!"

* * *

**Present Time.**

"That's why when the accident happened and he fled; I considered him dead." Stephanie continued; "I filed the divorce immediately after."

Carlos nodded sympathetically; "What did he tell James?"

"I never would have asked him." Stephanie replied; "And when he did what he did; I opted not to ask James about what had happened between them, either. Until the day of the accident, James didn't know that Steve had hit me that night. And the only other person who knew is Logan."

Carlos nodded and looked down, not sure what to say next.

Stephanie's cell phone rang and she picked it up from her passenger bag.

"Hey, Annie." She greeted her secretary; "No, no; I'm around." She rested the phone between her head and her shoulder; "Give me a sec." She reached into her bag and got about ten keys out, discarding all of them on the table and looking through them. "Yeah, I have it." She said as she picked one key in particular and shoved it into one of the side pockets; all the while Carlos was watching her with an amused smile on his face; "Okay, I'll be right there."

Stephanie hung up and discarded her phone, reaching to collect her keys.

"What's up with those?" Carlos asked as he eyed her in amusement; "What's with the separate keys? Wouldn't a key chain be a good answer to this...mess."

"That's my life and I'm used to it." She chuckled; "I change cars and motorbikes a lot; it's easier to keep them apart." She smiled in apology; "I'm sorry, I have to go."

"I'll drive you."

"I actually rode here on my bike."

Carlos smiled; "I guess I'll just have to follow you in my car."

* * *

Dave Mathews wasn't sure what important video had his friend, Craig, sent to him the day before. So now, he sat on one of the benches on campus, looking for it to see what Craig's deal was.

He played the video, instantly recognizing one person in particular.

_James Diamond._

He'd seen James around campus a lot; they've never talked personally. James would stop by to see Dak a lot on campus and Dave could tell he was a good guy.

So on seeing James getting the shit beaten out of him, Dave couldn't help but get up and look for no one other than Dak himself.

He found Dak by the lockers, with Ryan Mitchell leaning against another locker, both seeming engrossed in their conversation; both oblivious to the conflict in their colleague's head.

"D-Dak?"

Dak turned to face Dave, confusion adorning his face. Dave and Dak weren't exactly close and aside from acknowledging each other with a nod from time to time; they've never really talked before.

"Yes?"

"I-I was wondering if you have seen this video?" Dave asked, handing Dak the phone awkwardly.

Dak frowned as he played the video, sensing Ryan lean in to watch over his shoulder. He watched in complete disinterest until he recognized James in the video, almost the same instant Ryan did; he heard Ryan mutter 'Oh, shit'. Dak stopped the video and yanked Dave closer to him from his collar.

"How the hell did you get this video?!"

"A friend sent it to me, I swear it!" Dave replied, surprised at Dak's reaction; "I swear I don't know who filmed it, a friend sent it to me yesterday, told me to check it out!"

"Dak, calm down!" Ryan said, trying to pry Dak away from Dave, oblivious to the crowd that was forming around the three; "Let him go!"

"I won't until he tells me the fucking truth!"

Ryan finally managed to get Dak away from Dave and pushed him against his locker. He turned to Dave and asked him to stay then he turned to the crowd; "What the fuck are you looking at?!"

The people that had gathered cleared quickly and Ryan let go of Dak. He took Dave's cell phone from him and made quick work to send the video. A minute later, Dave had taken his phone and was on his way.

"What the fuck was that?!" Ryan snapped.

"Can you please leave me alone, now?" Dak asked, crossing his arms and looking down; "I just need to be alone."

Ryan raised his hand, rubbing Dak's shoulder comfortingly; "I know what you're going through, okay? James killed, Dak, there's got to be a reason for those-criminals to do this."

"And when will those criminals face the consequences of their crimes?!" Dak asked; "When the hell would someone stand up to a corrupt police department, that can kill and not be questioned?! Make them pay?!"

"It's gotta happen at some point." Ryan replied; "They will pay. If not today then tomorrow, and if we weren't able to... Well, let them burn in fucking hell, then." He shrugged; "Our top priority right now is to get this video to my brother; Logan will know what to do, he always does." Dak blinked and stared at Ryan, not moving; "What?"

"You just called Logan your brother..."

* * *

Stephanie got off the motorcycle just as Carlos opened the door to his car. She took off her helmet and adjusted her hair, already making her way to the entrance to King's Motors.

Carlos jogged around the car, catching up to her and pushing the door open for her.

"Thank you." Stephanie casted him a well-earned smile.

"Don't mention it."

"Carlos, umm." Stephanie paused; "Today, you made me tell you something I've never told to anybody, with the exception of Logan. I... Well, I hope it was of use in the investigation."

"First, this wasn't an interrogation today." Carlos smiled; "Just two friends chatting, getting to know each other. That if you'd let me be your friend, of course."

"Can I ask you something?" Carlos nodded and Stephanie continued; "Why do you insist on bringing up Steve every time we talk?"

Carlos looked down, fiddling with his fingers then brought his gaze up to her; "He was your husband and James's friend. He's a part of this case as much as Logan, Kendall, Jo or Wayne are."

She pressed her lips together and shook her head; "You're hiding something from me."

"Ah, now you're doing my job for me?" Carlos chuckled; "Why would you say that?"

"It's just a feeling." She shrugged; "At least for now."

"Okay?"

"I'll tell you this though; you're trying to make me doubt all the people around me; their true intentions and their true characters." She deduced; "But you have to remember that those guys... They're the closest people I've ever had, and I'd like to say that I know them better than I know myself. And this way of yours will only stand in your way of knowing us and eventually finding out the exact truth." Stephanie shrugged; "You are always so skeptical about how we all insist that dealing isn't something James might do, but maybe if you got to know him... You should go to his home, see his room, talk to his family and go through his stuff. It's not the same, but it's the closest you could get to knowing the kind of person he was."

Annie, Stephanie's secretary, interrupted the two of them, informing Stephanie that Richard Valentine was waiting for her in the office; all the while Stephanie maintained eye contact with Carlos.

"I should go." She finally said after a few seconds. She made her way towards the stairs, stopping mid-step when she heard Carlos's voice.

"I promise. I promise I'll go to James's place. I promise."

* * *

Amanda was making late breakfast for her and Wayne. They both had stayed up late the day before, catching up, and had slept in.

She had just prepared the plates and was just about to go wake up Wayne, who was sprawled on the living room couch in a deep sleep. She heard the front door open and she waited for Dan to come in.

Dan Begley walked in, swaying a bit, he walked to the kitchen counter and sat on one of the stools; "Hey."

"Hi."

He was about to say something when his gaze wondered to the living room and he sprang up in his seat; "What the fuck is that scumbag doing here?!"

Amanda around the counter to face him; "He's my son, this is his home." She crossed her arms; "and can you keep it down? He's still asleep."

Dan grabbed her elbow roughly; "He made a scene and embarrassed me in front of my guests! Get rid of him!"

"Not gonna happen!"

The shouting had managed to shake Wayne out of his sleep and he opened his eyes to a sight that was somewhat familiar. A man roughly slapping his mothers, the sound of skin hitting skin echoing through the silent apartment. He was up on his feet in less than a second, and tackling Dan away from his mother in the next.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on her EVER again!" Wayne screamed in his face, Dan's collar wrinkled up in his tight grasp.

Dan didn't even try to fight Wayne off.

Surprisingly, it was Amanda who tried to pry her son away from her husband.

"Wayne, stay away from him!" She shouted desperately; "He's not himself, he's high; he doesn't even know what he's doing!"

"Don't you get tired of this?!" Wayne asked, pushing Dan back onto the ground harshly when he tried to resist him; "Of men using you like this? Abusing you like this?!"

"You're not listening!" She tried again; "He's aware of what he's doing!"

"You're the one who's not aware where you're going!" Wayne said as he let go off of Dan and stood up; "Why are you covering his business, Ma?! Wake up and look around; this will only get you jail time! This is a fucking felony!"

"Damn, man." Dan said as he rubbed his forehead; "James Diamond was pretty much a spot on your anger management issues."

"James?" Wayne repeated as he crouched next to Dan; "How the hell do you know James?!"

"James was my friend." Dan replied; "He looked out for me and I did him. I always told him to stay away from you and the camp but he wouldn't listen; always insisting that he trusted you. Well; look where that got him."

"You're lying." Wayne decided and stood up; "I thought you two might've been friends, but James would never know someone like you."

"Enough, Wayne!" His mother shouted again, Dan's hand already leaving an angry-red mark on her cheek.

"Enough, alright." Wayne nodded and walked towards the door; "I don't even care what will happen to you, mother."

"Where are you going?" Amanda asked as she tried to get up and catch up to Wayne by the front door; only to have Dan holding her back.

"Away from you."

* * *

Stephanie walked into the garage, which she owned. It was a service King's Motors offered; regular check ups of engines bought through them. She also had about thirty mechanics working for her, for any major things.

_Like James's beaten motorcycle._

She approached the three mechanics that were working on James's bike.

"How is it going?"

One of the mechanics stood up immediately; while the other two kept stripping the motorcycle.

"Aside from the obvious dents, the radiator should be changed and the brakes are no longer working." He said; "We could use our own spare parts, we don't have to order anything."

"Will that affect the bike's price?" She asked.

"Of course." The forty-something year-old man replied; "A used 2009 Harley Davidson Sportster XR1200 costs around twelve grand right now. I'd say using our parts will bring it down around two grand."

"Then order the parts." Stephanie decided.

"But whoever rides it won't feel any different." The man reasoned; "And it saves us money and trouble."

"I'm buying it, anyway." Stephanie answered; "I want it to be perfect and I want it to cost a lot. The family needs the money."

"Poor them." The man shook his head sadly; "Mr. Diamond was a good man. And as for his bike, he stopped by every month for a full check up. He loved this bike so much."

"I know." Stephanie sighed and ran her fingertips along the cool metal of the bike; "I know."

* * *

**Almost Three Years Ago, July 2009.**

"I'm really sorry." James said, cradling his arm against his chest.

"Don't be." Stephanie said as she leaned forward in her seat, resting her hands on the hospital bed James was currently lying on; "What matters now is that you get better. So get better."

"Where's Steve?" He asked.

"Steve got out lightly, uninjured at all." She said; "His father is trying to figure a way out; people died in the crash yesterday."

"Oh God..." James rubbed his temple.

"Did you know there were a couple of guys dealing drugs in the coffee place?"

"What?" He asked and tried to sit up, only resulting in a yelp of pain escaping past his lips; "What the hell are you talking about?"

"After the accident, cops searched the place today." She said; "They thought Steve would be hiding there and they found drugs. Cocaine, heroin, meth, crack, opium, marijuana, ecstasy; you name it and it's there." She shook her head; "I know it can't be Logan or Kendall. Steve told me today it wasn't him. It must be Wayne, right? He's the one who give those guys the go ahead?"

"I don't think Wayne would do that." He sighed; "What is David going to do? Ship Steve away?"

"Probably." She nodded; "But if he left; I won't. That's enough putting up with him."

"He loves you, he'd want you to be with him." James sighed as the two of them shared a knowing look. Awkwardness settled in and James's eyes darted around the hospital room; "Hey, when I get discharged; you're going to teach me how to ride a motorcycle."

"I think the morphine is doing wonders." She chuckled; "You're aware that you're hooked up to a dozen different machines and that you have a broken arm, bruised rips and a twisted ankle, right? I don't think you and anything with wheels mix well."

"If you're going to teach me then so be it." He shrugged; "If you're not going to, I'll find someone else."

"Just focus on recovering now, would you?"

* * *

**Present Time.**

"So?" Jeff asked; "What now?"

"Now, we just wait for the labs. They're still trying to figure out whether the video is fake or not." Logan replied; "I'm trying to reach any of the cops that were on the bust; I've contacted some of friends and they're doing their best to find something. It's unauthorized information so it might take a while." He sighed; "You just should make sure that Dak and Brooke don't find out about this."

Jeff nodded as he leaned his back on Logan's leather couch; "I don't even want to know what would happen to Brooke if she found out."

"Jeff; there's this something..." Logan paused; "Well, I can't keep put telling you off any longer."

"What?"

"I think that James was murdered." Logan replied.

"Of course, he was." Jeff nodded; "The video shows how the cops beat him, killed him brutally, right?"

"What I mean is; the cop won't do that on his own." Logan explained; "Maybe he had orders, maybe he was paid." He shrugged; "All I know is that the officer assigned to investigate the murder is having a hard time finding any witnesses. Pretty much everyone who was on the past have taken a leave or just disappeared."

"But who?" Jeff pressed; "Who would have the power to do that?"

"A lot of people." The lawyer shrugged; "Take Edward Stone for example. He could have done it; but he wouldn't. Not if he knew Lucy was with James; he wouldn't hurt Lucy. Unless of course he didn't know." He ran a hand through his hair, deep in thought; "It's all very complicated and the possibilities are endless; but it will hopefully work in our favor eventually."

"I hope so." The older man nodded and stood up; "I should go."

"No, you shouldn't." Logan smiled; "It's not everyday you'd visit me, right? Plus, it's like talking to my own father; you don't know how much I miss that."

"You should talk to your mother." Jeff advised as he stood up; "She's the closest you're going to get to your father."

"She wouldn't listen." He ushered Jeff towards the door; "She never does; not since he passed away."

"I'm sorry." Jeff said as he got to the front door; "What's that?" He pointed to two bags were resting against the wall by the door; he hadn't noticed them when he came in; "Are you traveling or something?"

"Uh, no." Logan chuckled; "Kendall's going to crash here for a while so he brought a change of clothes."

"He better not be having trouble with his wife; James used to tell me she's such a sweetheart."

"That she is." Logan nodded; "Hopefully all that will wear off in time."

* * *

Edward held Lucy's hand as her bed was being pushed towards the OR, keeping up with the nurses pushing it.

They reached a set of double doors, which the nurses have kindly informed him that he can't go further them.

"How long?" Edwards asked as he saw the doctor, who had now changed from his normal suite and white coat to green scrubs.

"From two to three hours." The doctor replied; "It depends. But don't worry; take a seat and wait. You're pacing around won't help her."

"I know."

"I'll see you after surgery."

A few minutes later, Edward's phone rang while he was in the waiting room. He stood up and walked to a quite corner, barely missing Carlos entering the waiting room and walking towards him.

"Yes, Lucas... Yeah, they just started a few minutes ago." He rubbed his temple and nodded while Lucas talked; "Speaking of which, this Carlos guy has been trying to reach me for two days now." Carlos raised his eyebrows and chuckled; "Of course I don't pick up, I even turned off my other number an-"

"But we'll talk right now." Carlos cut him off, smiling smugly.

Edward jumped slightly and turned around so fast that Carlos wondered how the older man didn't get a whiplash.

"I'll get back to you, Lucas." Edward stuffed his phone into his pocket, not even bothering to end the call, "Yes, Mr. Garcia?"

"Well, let me get straight to the point. Here." He handed Edward a picture, obviously taken at some party of some sort, of him and Wayne.

"What's this?"

"This is a picture of you and Wayne." Carlos chuckled; "The same Wayne you denied knowing multiple of times."

Edward studied the picture and handed it back to Carlos; "My lawyer, Lucas, came to me. He told me there was this guy who wanted to rent my land because he wanted to start a business of some sort. I have a lot of lands so I said yes. I didn't even know it was Wayne until much later and even then, all I knew about him was that he was Lucy's on-again-off-again boyfriend."

"What else?"

"Lucy introduced me to him in a party." He pointed to the picture in Carlos's hand; "That party. That was a few years back, and we talked for a couple of minutes; that's all."

* * *

**Almost Three Years Ago; July 2009.**

**The Night Of Steve's Accident.**

"So what do you do, Wayne?" Edward asked as he leaned against the small table in a huge set-up at Begley's.

"I'm one of Steve's co-owners in the coffee shop." Wayne replied, taking a long drag of his cigarette. "We have a coffee shop; it's pretty popular with locals. And since we're doing surprisingly well, we're thinking of opening a couple other branches."

"You're all thinking or is just Steve?" Edward asked, a smirk making it's way to his face.

"We all do, Mr. Stone."

"We'll see about that."

Lucy approached the two, hips swaying to the beat of the loud music, a bottle of liquor in her hand while a cigarette is tucked between her fore and middle fingers.

"Daddy." She greeted; "I see you've met Wayne."

"Steve introduced us."

"Wait." She set the bottle down and fished through her jacket's pockets, coming up with her camera. She took a couple of steps away and Wayne got the memo, moving to stand beside Edward. They both saw the flash and Lucy lowered the camera; "Great one; looking good, Wayne."

* * *

"Can you tell me what you want from me, already?" Edward asked.

"I want to do my job." Carlos replied; "I want to know the truth, I want to know what's between you and Wayne Dolley."

"Do you have any kids?"

The question came so out of the blue that Carlos blinked, trying to process the relation between Edward's question and the case at hand; "Yes."

"Perfect." Edward nodded; "That means that you know what I'm going through; feeling the need to protect your kid. I admit; I wasn't always there for Lucy, and look where that got her. I've been paying for that every single day for years now. The day Steve introduced her to those guys; she came home talking about Logan. From what she said; I could tell he was a good guy; he was also working for Evans at that time and I knew Evans would write poetry about him if he knew how to. But then she stopped talking about him so suddenly and stopped talking to me all together. The next thing I know, it's like, three years later and she's with Wayne. She like him and I don't know why." Edward shrugged; "I know people and I asked about him; turns out his mother was a hooker or a stripper; something like that. And that his father didn't even want him until recently. I tried to tell her to stay away from him but she wouldn't listen, too inexperienced to know better." He rubbed his temple; "After Steve's accident, we had an argument and it blew. She moved out and she went to Wayne. A couple of days later, Wayne called. He said that he didn't like that Lucy and I weren't on good terms and that he didn't know that she would do what she did. I met them both and we tried to talk things out, but she wouldn't listen. That was when Wayne told me about the camp and I said yes. I knew Stephanie had chosen to sell the coffee place and I thought I was helping him for Lucy's sake; to get on her good side again."

"Why didn't you say all that from the start?"

"For Lucy!" The man exploded; "Everything I do; I do it for her! I don't want her to be in this case, I don't want her to get hurt!"

"She is already in it, now." Carlos said; "You should sit with Mr. Evans, you're lawyer, talk to him, before you choose to hide anything more from me."

"Mr. Garcia; Lucy doesn't need a lawyer now." Edward said, sadness and vulnerability creeping into his voice; "My daughter is dying and she needs a miracle to make it through this one surgery."

Carlos nodded; "I hope you'd turn on your phone or give me the number you answer to. I want to be able to reach you when I need you."

"All cards are on the table now, Mr. Garcia." Edward replied; "When you need me; you'll find me."

* * *

That was kinda long...

Just wanted to tell you all that I won't be able to update in May and June. At all. I think. I'll try to get one more update before April ends. So sorry about that.

Hope you stick around through that hiatus, because after it; there will be no more wait.

-J


	18. Chapter 18

Woah, I actually managed to get this out! I almost can't believe it!

Enjoy it, guys! :)

* * *

Brooke walked to answer the knock on the front door, finding Jeff already on his way to do it himself. She stood back, watching her husband open the door.

She almost rolled her eyes when she saw Carlos Garcia smiling on the other side of the door. He greeted Jeff warmly and he was ushered inside towards her.

"Good morning, Mrs. Diamond."

"Morning." Brooke replied.

"Umm, I'm Carlos." He said; "Carlos Garcia, we met in James's funeral."

"I know who you are." She said; "Come in."

"Is there anything new, Carlos?" Jeff asked as he ushered the shorter latino inside towards the living room.

"Not really. I just wanted to chat with Mrs. Diamond for a while."

"Absolutely." Brooke nodded and sat on the living room couch, Jeff joining her. She gestured for him to take a seat, which he did; "Anything."

* * *

Kendall and Wayne stopped their chat when they saw Camille approaching the dining table. They both had decided to go ahead with breakfast and not wait for Logan, who went out earlier for his morning run and was still in the shower. They smiled at her as she dropped a plate for each of them.

"Where's my coffee?" Wayne whined.

"Dude." Camille said, hands resting on her hips, eyebrows rising; "I don't work for you."

"Then why are you serving us?"

"Gotta obey the boss."

"Oh, please." Kendall snorted, picking up his fork; "Obedience to the boss or feelings for the boss?"

"Excuse me?" Camille glared then narrowed his eyes; "What do you know?"

"I know Logan really likes you. And that you know that." Kendall's smirk turned into a look of realization; "Wait did he-wow Logan!"

Wayne almost spat out orange juice, "Oh wow, go Loges!" He smiled, and Camille could've sworn it was the first time for her to see a genuine; "I approve."

"Ditto." Kendall nodded; "You guys look good together, joke around and you get each other. And I'm pretty sure you two like each other; it's good for you to be together."

"We're not together." Camille shrugged; "And nothing happened."

"Liar." Wayne chuckled; "I'm a good liar and I can tell when someone is lying."

"I'm not lying." Camille insisted and turned to leave the room.

"Look, Logan is eremophobic and an eccedentesiast." Kendall told her; "He's also not that good at hiding his feelings, and when he is hurting he gets snappy and grumpy so don't take it on him, okay?"

"There are a couple a big words you used there." Camille turned to him; "And how do you know that I was the one to reject him? And that it's not the other way around?"

"He's afraid of being alone; he's afraid of dying alone. To him, people are better than no people." Kendall smiled "And he's my best friend; my brother... I've know him since we were in diapers; I can always tell."

Camille nodded and turned again to leave the room, ramming straight into Logan; who had just finished his shower.

"Hi." He greeted warmly, his hand steadying the plate he was holding.

"Morning." She replied awkwardly, hoping that he didn't hear the conversation she'd just had with his friends. She sidestepped him and walked out, having already had breakfast.

"Adorable." Wayne muttered, causing Kendall to chuckle.

"She seems off." Logan commented as he sat opposite his best friends; "Were you two harassing her?"

"Why would we?" Kendall shrugged.

They heard the door bell ring and Logan craned his neck up, watching as Camille went to get it.

Camille raised her eyebrows as soon as she saw the two people in front of her. They both had dark brown hair, one of them bearing a very close resemblance to Logan himself; aside from his black-rimmed glasses.

Both guys exchanged looks and turned to her. The one who looked nothing like her mentor was the first to speak; "Isn't this Logan's apartment?"

"It was, at some point." Camille nodded and chuckled; "Now it's just a college frat house. Come on in, boys."

The guys walked in, Camille closing the door, just as Logan came out of the dining room.

"Hey." Logan greeted as he pulled Dak into a simple hug. He pulled away and turned to Ryan; "Hi."

"Hi." Ryan replied and Camille raised his eyebrows again, surprised at how much he sounded like Logan as well.

"Well, that's one hell of a limited vocabulary." She chuckled and turned to Logan; "How about a nice 'Come in' or 'Join us for breakfast'?"

"Right." Logan nodded; "Come on in, guys." He ushered them towards the dining room where Kendall and Wayne were still sitting.

They both stood up when Dak and Ryan walked in, Kendall exchanging hugs with both of them. Wayne shook their hands awkwardly, not knowing where exactly he stands with them after his last meeting with Dak, when he almost called the cops on him.

Dak and Ryan sat opposite Wayne and Kendall, Logan sitting in his place at the head of the table and Camille sat on the couch in the living room, still in their earshot.

Dak and Ryan sat awkwardly, looking at Wayne, Kendall and Camille then back to Logan.

"Is something wrong?" He asked.

"We wanted to talk to you." Dak stated; "But we were hoping to do that in private. If-if that's, you know, possible?"

"Of course, we can talk." Logan nodded then gestured towards Kendall and Wayne; "Don't shy away from Kendall and Wayne. They're nothing but little assholes; they're not cannibals."

Kendall laughed and Wayne added; "Yeah, you got nothing to worry about."

"It's not what we meant." Ryan sighed; "It's just... Well, you know-"

"What did you do?" Kendall asked; worry finding its way to his face. He dropped his fork into his now empty plate and stiffened in his seat; "Why do you need the lawyer?" At this, Logan knitted his eyebrows and stared at Dak and Ryan.

"We brought you this." Ryan took out a flash-memory from his pocket and set it firmly in the middle of the table.

"And that would be...?" Logan trailed off, staring at the flash-memory, just as Kendall and Wayne did.

"There's a video on it." Dak replied; "One of my colleagues showed it to me the other day and the first person who came to mind was you, Logan. I don't know what to do with it but I trust you do." He turned to Ryan, waiting for him to talk.

"The video has James in it." Ryan said quietly, knowing how hard it was for Dak and for everyone sitting around the table for that matter; "The night of the accident and the cops, they-they were beating him up with-"

"With his own helmet." Logan cut him off running a hand through his still-damp hair; "You don't need to tell me that, I've seen it for myself."

"Why would they do that to him?" Dak asked, voice almost muted, staring at his clasped hands in misery; "Why would that happen to anybody?"

"That we don't know." Wayne was the one to answer; "But you shouldn't worry about anything, Dak. Logan has got this covered..."

Dak and Ryan sat there, listening to the other older guys; hoping to actually achieve something with this footage.

* * *

Carlos almost moaned, sipping from the little shot of Turkish coffee; "That's just absolutely beautiful." He put the small shot on the coffee table and looked at Brooke and Jeff. While Jeff looked relaxed enough, especially after their most recent talk, Brooke was fidgety and stiff; "I know that my presence here is uncomfortable and it's the last thing you'd ever want, Brooke. But I need to understand that I'm neutral in this investigation, I don't pick sides; all I want is the truth and that's that. It's my job; I work with evidence until everything falls in place."

"You can ask me anything." Brooke told him; "I'll answer truthfully and I will tell you everything you need to know. I want to know what exactly happened to my son, I want to know that more than anything."

Carlos nodded; "You know that James, Logan, Kendall, Wayne and Steve all had opened a coffee shop together?"

"That was years ago." Jeff nodded.

"Did he borrow any money for that?" Carlos asked; "From either of you?"

"No." Jeff answered as Brooke shook her head; "But if I remember correctly; he did from his friends."

"Wait, so you don't actually know?" The latino asked.

"No." Jeff answered.

"And you, Brooke?"

"I heard them talking once." She told him; "They were all in James's room, it was all the boys. It was actually kinda late, they had the door open and I could see everything perfectly..."

* * *

**Six years ago; April 2006.**

"Do you see this bottle?" Steve held up the plastic water bottle; "I can fill it up with tap-water and sell it all. I'm just that good."

"Fraud." Kendall shook his head.

"Like that's any news?" Wayne chuckled as he hopped on the desk.

"Hold up, is that what you do every party?" Logan asked; "You sell us all tap-water?"

"What else am I supposed to do?" Steve chuckled; "Plus, everyone is always too drunk to even realize it! None of them remembers anything."

"Okay, Fraud." James nodded; "Speaking of parties, what did you do about the money for the coffee place?"

"Give me some time." Steve replied; "It's not that easy."

"Why should we?" Kendall asked: "You threw the party and you made the money; why don't we just go ahead already?"

"Why are you so pissed?" Steve relaxed in his seat, crossing his legs; "You worked for like, an hour."

"Dude!" Kendall was about to continue when James stopped him. He huffed and sat back again.

James turned to Steve; "What's taking you so long?" He asked; "I went today to see the place Logan found; it's perfect. We need to finish this fast before someone else buys the property. The owner wants two hundred grand; the place is that good, totally worth it."

"Mhmm." Steve nodded; "And how much of that money is going straight to Logan's pocket?"

Logan, who was lying at the feet of the bed, sat upright and turned to Steve; "What the fuck, man?" He exclaimed; "I don't need to steal your goddamn money!"

Wayne shook his head; "You're way outta line, Steve!"

"Look, mate; this is business." The jet haired man said; "There are no friends in business."

"Funny you mentioned that." Kendall smiled sarcastically; "You can go to hell with your money, I will finance the whole thing if I have to."

"Yeah." Logan agreed; "I'll split it with him. The two of us can start it up pretty smoothly." He turned to James; "My hundred grand will be here first thing in the morning."

"Mine too." Kendall agreed.

"What about James and I?" Wayne asked; "We have to contribute."

"Logan and I will finance it; you and James will run it." Kendall decided; "We both have day-jobs that we can't walk out on."

"It's settled then." Logan grinned.

"Oh, so I'm out now?" Steve asked; "You're blowing me off?"

"Nobody's blowing you off." The lawyer told him; "You're blowing yourself off with your dick-moves."

"Oh yeah? Fine; let me see how you'll get all the permits!"

"Dude, I can talk to your father myself." Kendall chuckled; "Piece of cake."

"Fine." Steve said; "I'll get the money for tomorrow." He huffed; "Anything else I can do for you?"

"Yeah." Wayne answered; "I want some water." Steve threw him the bottle he had in his hand, only to have Wayne throw it right back at him; "Mineral water, Fraud."

They all laughed except Steve who just took it back.

"No more water for you."

Logan stood up and stretched; "I should be on my way."

"Wait." Kendall said as he stood up; "I'm coming with."

"Yeah, me too." Wayne said and hopped off the desk; "I should be getting home too."

Steve nodded and followed the three of them.

"Ah, Mama D!" Logan grinned as he walked towards the woman, who was in her own room, opposite James's, with the door open wide; "What are you doing up so late?"

"Like anybody can get any peace and quiet with all of you here."

"Is that your way of throwing us out casually?" Kendall asked and chuckled.

Brooke grinned; "Is it working, Ken?"

"Not really." Kendall smiled.

"I second that." Steve nodded; "If anything; I'm sleeping over."

"Not happening." James replied as he pushed the four guys towards the stairs playfully; "Sorry about that, ma. They just weren't brought up right." He joked.

"Like you're any better?"

"Buuuuuuuuuurn!" Kendall called out and the guys 'Oh'ed.

"I reject that statement!" He called, midway down the stairs; "I'm awesome!"

* * *

**Present Time.**

"So it was Steve who paid?" Carlos asked as he reached for some papers on James's desk; "Right?"

"That's what we understood." Jeff nodded.

"Did you visit that place when they opened it?"

"Unfortunately no." The older man shook his head; "I was too busy with the land most of the time."

The latino nodded and turned to Brooke, who was sitting on James's bed; "Brooke?"

"I did." She replied to his silent question; "It was actually the night before the opening; it was October... It was the first time James spoke about Stephanie..."

* * *

**Almost Six Years Ago; October 2006.**

"So?" James asked as he pulled a chair for his mother; "What do you think, ma?"

"It's wow." Brooke said in awe; looking around the dimly lighted, elegantly furnished coffee shop; "You guys did a wonderful job decorating it."

"That was all Kendall and Logan." James said as he sat on the chair right next to her.

"I wish you guys all the best!" Brooke replied; "I can't believe you pulled it off."

James grinned and kissed the back of her hand; "I know; we're awesome." He sat back and sighed; "I just wish dad would be here."

"He will come and see it, J." Brooke reassured him; "When it opens and the business blossoms; you know that he's proud of you."

"I'm not sure about that." James said and looked down, fiddling with his fingers; "All he sees in me is a failure who dropped out of college, who is lost and have no place to go in life."

Brooke took his hands in hers, getting his attention; "Why would you ever think that?"

"Because it's the truth." James replied; "And I'm trying. I swear I'm trying to change that but I'm not sure how. It's getting harder and nobody listens, ma; even when they all say they hear me. But the truth is, they don't; they never do."

"Who are they?" The woman asked as her eyebrows met in confusion.

"Those who live in the brand new Miami." James chuckled bitterly; "Every single one of them have taken a part of the state and they threw away those parts they don't like for people like us."

"We're better off than a lot of people." Brooke argued; "And you're father is loved and appreciated."

"So appreciated that the government confiscated all his money and property?" He asked sarcastically; "So appreciated that they took away his land and convicted him of fraud? That's a weird way of showing appreciation, don't you think?" He shook his head; "Dad should've been where David Jacobs is right now! He should be a mayor, preparing himself to be re-elected, not because he has friends in the high-low places; but because people actually do want him. He should be where David is, the same Davis whose son threw us some money to work with. Steve doesn't deserve what he has! He does nothing but party, get drunk and get laid; he gets everything he doesn't deserve. And it's not even enough for him." He ran a hand through his hair; "He had to show intrest in Stephanie; and just like that; take her on his way. Because he's Steve fucking Jacobs"

* * *

**Present Time.**

"It was the first time I've ever heard James talk about Steve like that." Brooke said; "Even though they were close and both loved each other dearly."

"He always thought money was everything." Jeff shook his head; "He always thought money would make him happy. That's why he went into the camp business."

Carlos stood up, picking a notebook from James's desk; "Why don't you say he was just trying to bring your own dream to life?" He asked; "The camp idea... It's too similar to your project."

"Maybe, maybe he was." Jeff nodded; "But the land wasn't his, he was never close to bringing anything anywhere."

Carlos opened the note book to the first page and frowned as he read the lines written in a neat scribble.

_**Every day I wonder why I kept my distance from Stephanie. Was it the money? Or rather, the lack of it? Maybe it was Steve's sudden interest in her? Or the fear of rejection? I'm not really sure. All I know; is that staying away from the one person I truly loved was the worst decision of my entire life.**_

**_Or at least one of the worst._**

Carlos flicked through the notebook papers; finding similar scribbles in most of the pages. He closed it and cleared his throat.

"Those are James's?"

"Yes." Brooke answered; "These are his stuff from high school and just random notebooks he kept."

"You never thought about reading them?" He asked.

"I like to give my sons their privacy."

He nodded; "Can I take them?" He shrugged; "I'll just read through them and bring them back as soon as I can."

* * *

Logan sat on the leather couch in his office, very aware of Ryan's gaze that was fixed so intently on him.

"Are you actually going to talk or just keep going with the staring contest?" Kendall asked from his place by Logan's desk; "It's getting kinda boring, you two."

"There's nothing to say." Logan said; "I've explained myself to him over and over again. I've been talking and explaining for three years without getting anything, not even a nod because he was too busy shoving his head further up his ass. I'm done talking."

"Maybe if he had put himself in my place; he'd understand why I was being the way I was." Ryan snapped; still staring at his brother.

Wayne visibly cringed; "Can you at least stop speaking about each other like you're not in the same freaking room."

"Stubbornness sure runs in the family." Dak rubbed the back of his head.

"Why don't we just leave them to it?" Camille asked; "Let them talk it out on their own?"

"That might be a good idea." Kendall nodded; "If you're looking forward to starting World War III."

"There will be blood."

"That's not possible." She shrugged; "Logan isn't violent."

"Yeaaaaah, about that..." Wayne trailed off awkwardly; causing the only woman in the room to raise her eyebrows.

"Well, we're not getting anything from sitting here and watching." She argued.

"Can you talk?" Kendall asked the two Mitchells; "Please? For the sake of our sanity!"

"I said everything I need to say!" Logan replied; "Maybe if he can step up and speak his mind, _like a man should_, this would be over and done with already."

"Hey!" Ryan objected; "What is that su-"

"You know what?" Logan cut him off; "I'm not doing this. I'm not fighting anymore; I'm not sure I'm even _capable_ of fighting you anymore! Maybe you're right! Maybe it was my fault that I didn't apologize at the time; that I gave you your space. We haven't talked in years, can you even believe that? Brothers, who used to be so close, couldn't even hold a conversation anymore! We had memories together, Ry, some that lived on and others that had faded with time. And you threw them all away, and so did I. And I'm sorry! I know it's late to you; but I am. I am sorry. I should've apologized earlier, but I made a mistake! But the fact is; _I'm just human, I make mistakes;_ shit happens, but so what?! You kept pushing me away and I gave up on you; I shouldn't have. If it was up to me I would go back in time and apologize, for something that I didn't even do. So I'm sorry, and I know it's better to say it now than never say it all; than losing you before I ever get to say it! Because a lot happens, time passes, people die. Time breaks friendships and death breaks families and I'm just not about to lose someone else, okay?" He ran a hand through his hair; "_I'm not going to lose another brother; I can't live with that._" He looked at the shell-shocked faces of his two best friends and his intern, then turned his gaze to his brother; "I didn't kill dad, Ryan. He had had issues with his heart for a while and it wasn't his first heart attack; he even had a few at the hospital. He just happened to have one when it was only me there and I couldn't do anything." He choked; "I called nine-one-one, but he was dead before he made it to the hospital. It was just bad timing; it wasn't my fault. I didn't kill him." He collapsed back on the couch, burying his face in the palm of his hands; "_It wasn't my fault._"

"I should apologize, too." Ryan whispered; "I knew you, I knew my brother; and yet I didn't give you the benefit of the doubt." He fiddled with his fingers; "I'm sorry, too. Umm, you should visit...sometime... I know she may not show it, but mum misses you all the time. She sometimes just goes into your room and locks the door and stays there for hours." He shrugged; "And when dad died; she was mourning two losses, Logan, it wasn't easy."

"She kicks me out every time I try to see her." Logan replied.

"You just said you regret giving up on Ryan." Wayne spoke for the first time in a while; "Why are you giving up on her?"

"I hate to interfere; especially because I'm not aware of all the details," Camille said; "But Wayne is right."

Logan nodded but didn't say anything.

Kendall hopped off Logan's desk; "Loges." The lawyer turned his gaze towards the blonde; "We have places to be."

Logan snapped his gaze towards the clock that hung elegantly on the wall and nodded; "I'll go change." He stood up and turned to Ryan; "We're cool?"

"Yeah. We're cool"

* * *

"The second I told him I was Jo Taylor, the blogger; he said he'd be honored to have me working for him!" Jo ranted excitedly; "Can you even believe that, Steph? Me? Writing in a news paper?"

Stephanie grinned and hugged a cushion from the ones spread all over her living room couch; "I'm so happy for you! I'm sure Kendall will be ecstatic!"

Jo excitement faded a bit; "Kendall doesn't know." She shrugged, looking down; "I think he needs some space away from me, he needs to know what he wants."

Stephanie frowned; "What are you saying, Jo?"

"Look, I'll never accept going back to the way things were with him." Jo started; "I want to know why I'm here. It can't be just to have sex, get married and reproduce like Kendall thinks, it can't be just that. I have a lot of things to say, more to do and even heaps more to figure out."

"What's the problem?" Stephanie asked; "You can do that while being married and reproducing."

"Kendall never understood me, I told you that before." The blonde argued; "He doesn't get me, doesn't get what I'm always trying to say. I'll even bet you all I've got that he'd never buy the news papers or will ever read whatever I write."

Stephanie sighed; "What do you want to do about that?"

"I don't know." She trailed off; "Maybe I'll live with my cousins on the other side of town for a while."

"Stay here, with me." Stephanie suggested; "As you can see, I have a house that's too big for me and I haven't had a roommate since college."

"I wouldn't want to be a burden an-"

"Great, you're moving in!" Stephanie made a show of clapping her hands; "Would a happy dance be over-doing it?"

"Yes." Jo laughed; "It definitely would be." She waited until Stephanie calmed down then asked; "Do you ever miss Steve?"

"Of course." She replied; "But it's over; what happened has already happened. There's no going back now."

"And James?"

"Would you believe me if I said that up until now; I'm not sure if I even believe it?" She sighed; "I just feel like he's gonna stop by here of at the office. I don't know; I wish it was just a horrible prank of his."

Jo nodded; "Do you believe this drugs thing?"

"Never."

* * *

"You still haven't called Jo?" Logan asked, relaxing back on the passenger seat of Kendall's mini-cooper.

"Can't you take a break?" Kendall asked; "I don't want to talk about it."

"I just don't like how both of you are being."

"Don't be." The blonde replied, driving both of them on the way to Begley's; "And it's just lovers fight, right? It'll blow off." He chuckled; "The best thing you've ever done was not getting married."

"It's not my intention." He chuckled; "Plus; who'd even agree to my lifestyle? I'm on the cops's radar twenty-four/seven due to the kind of cases I accept."

"This would be about time I throw in Camille's name." Kendall smirked as Logan slapped his arm lightly; "But even then; don't even think about getting on one knee and going on that highway to hell."

"Loneliness is another form of slow-dying."

"Still, better than getting married."

Logan raised his eyebrows, but didn't argue with the blonde.

They both made it to Begley's and they found a place to sit, overlooking the entire estate. They sat their talking for over an hour before Kendall finally caught a glimpse of Dan.

"Loges, that's him!" Kendall pointed to the man in his early twenties; "I don't recognize those men, though."

"I know one of them." Logan supplied watching closely the two men who were talking to Dan. One of them was in his fifties, wearing a suit, way over dressed considering where they are now. The other was about thirty-five, wearing a leather jacket and ripped jeans, complete with snake bites on his lips. Logan pointed to the one with the snake bits; "That's Kane Lee. He's one of Miami's gang leaders. Shit gets nasty wherever he g-damn, is he giving Dan money?"

Kendall watched as Dan took a case from the older man, handing it straight to Kane; "Drug money?"

"I don't know, man."

They both watched as Dan and Kane walked the older man to his car and then the two made their way to Dan's ride.

"Come on." Logan urged; walking quickly towards Kendall's car.

"Come on where?" The blonde asked as he unlocked the mini-cooper.

"We're following them."

"What?!" Kendall asked; even though he already brought his car to life and was pushing down on the gas, trying to catch up to Dan and his companion.

They trailed the car until it drifted off the main road and into a desert road. Logan instructed Kendall to turn off the car lights and just trail the other car in the pitch black darkness.

"This is just wrong." Kendall shook his head; "This car isn't made to be on roads like this!"

"Suck it up." Logan replied and they trailed the car for a few minutes. Logan's cell phone rang; "It's Steph." He said and answered the call; "Hey, Steph... Kendall?" He looked towards Kendall, the other shaking his head in return, keeping his eyes on the road; "No, he's not with me... It Jo there?... Tell her I said hi... What? Steph? Hello?" He took the phone away to look at the screen, cursing at the 'No Signal' that flashed across the screen, ending the call.

"Please tell me there is a signal here." Kendall pleaded.

"Tough luck"

The car suddenly swerved slightly, and then stopped all together. Kendall murmured a mantra of 'no's while a string of curses flew out of the brunette's mouth. They both stepped out, looking at the four tires of the car, noticing the two back ones were stuck deep in the sand.

"Happy now?!" Kendall exclaimed; "I told you this car wasn't made for this."

"He got away!"

"We're not fussing about Dan getting away!" The blonde shouted; "We, are stuck in the middle of nowhere!" He opened the car door again, pressing some buttons on the GPS; "The GPS isn't picking anything." He took out his own cell phone; "And we've got no signal! _No fucking signal!_"

* * *

Cliffy? Not really. Sorry about that!

Anyway, I have an intense schedule the up coming couple of months so I won't be able to update AT ALL. See you all July, first, guys!

Don't forget to tune in to Big Time Rush every Thursday on Nick. If you want a fifth season, that is. I don't know about you all, but I know I do.

Look forward to Season four complete Kendall bashing with the next chapter. No hard feelings, just….questions…. sorta.

I just hope you won't get bored and drop the story alltogether for that lack of updates.

Leave a review, let me know what you think. **_Please!_**

-J


	19. Chapter 19

Hello, Hello!

I know I said I won't be able to update but I decided to celebrate my 100th review. And really, what's better than doing that with an update.

A lot is going to happen in this chapter, or I like to think that a lot is going to happen in this chapter. Anyway, it's a lot longer than usual.

Enjoy!

* * *

The police car came to a stop and the two cops descended.

"Trespassing?" One of the two officers asked.

"Looks like it." The other one replied, upholstering his gun; "Idiots, who would drive into the desert like that? It's like two miles off the road."

"And it's Arthur Griffin's property." The first one said; "Let's just get them out of here before the man pulls his strings and get us suspended, Alex."

They both walked towards the mini-cooper; splitting and rounding the car. Each of them ended up by the doors of the car, looking in through the windows that were left open to let the air in.

They saw two men. The first one had dirty blonde hair; his form was relaxed behind the wheel. He was wearing a plaid shirt that was left open, exposing his tight wife-beater. The second was shorter than the blonde next to him. His brunette hair was tousled from sleep and his leather jacket was off, covering him like a blanket. Both their clothes were wrinkled; due to sleeping in mini-cooper all night.

_They looked perfectly harmless._

"Unarmed, Trevor." Alex concluded.

The second man, Trevor, nodded. They both holstered their guns and Trevor banged his now empty hands on the mini-cooper.

Logan and Kendall both jumped slightly in their seats; the banging on the car scaring them out of their sleep. Both were disoriented for a moment, trying to figure out why their bodies felt so sore.

"Please, step down from the car." Trevor's voice rang loud and clear from outside the car.

Logan stepped down; shielding his eyes against the sun.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Alex asked, clad in the police attire.

"We got lost." Kendall replied; "Our car got stuck and had no signal."

"Can I see your license and the car documents, please?"

"Of course." Kendall replied, reaching for the glove compartment for the documents and for his wallet to show the officer his license. Logan just yawned, leaning back against the car.

"Got lost two miles in the desert?" Trevor spoke for the first time; "This is a private property; it's illegal for you two to be here."

"Sorry." Kendall replied; "We don't get out of Miami a lot so..." He trailed off.

"We will have to search the car."

"Why?" Logan spoke for the first time; "We didn't do anything and you don't have a warrant."

The officer chuckled; stopping closer to Logan; "You don't get to dictate me what I should and shouldn't do, boy. That's my job and I'll do whatever the hell I want."

"Sir." Alex addressed Kendall as the other went to search the car thoroughly; "This car belongs to a certain Jo Taylor...?"

"She's my wife." Kendall replied.

"And where's she?"

"As you can probably see," Logan started; "She not here."

Trevor, who was searching the car, surprised the three men and pushed Logan against the car; "Why don't you speak with some respect, boy?" The man said through gritted teeth; "Do you have anything to prove that Taylor is your friend's wife?"

"Get off me." Logan pushed the older man off; "And sorry, we don't. Why would he have his marriage certificate on him? It's their car; she knows it's with him so get over it."

The older man lunged back at Logan, trapping him against the car once more. Alex held Kendall back when he tried to interfere. Trevor turned Logan around and twisted his hands behind his back; reaching for his handcuffs. He handcuffed the lawyer and pushed him towards the police car and pushing him inside; "You need to be roughened up."

"What the hell...?!" Kendall shouted.

"Turn around and please don't resist." The other officer said and Kendall did. He was handcuffed and pushed to the car beside Logan.

"We're taking you down to the station." Alex informed them, getting behind the wheel; "We'll send someone for the car."

The older officer climbed next to him; "You two are under arrest for thievery and trespassing." He said and proceeded to read them their rights.

When they got to the cemented road; Logan called out for the officer who had been rough with him earlier; "Officer."

The one who had handled Kendall checked his rear-view mirror to make sure Logan wasn't addressing him.

"Officer." Logan called again. When he got no response; he kicked his legs against the officer's seat.

"What the hell, boy?" Trevor replied; discarding the magazine he had picked up when he got into the car; "You're asking for a beating?"

"Absolutely not." The brunette replied; "l could use your badge number though. Because after we get to the station and we get let go off; you'll be suspended. Might teach you a thing or two about innocent civilians' rights and treatment."

Kendall leaned towards Logan and elbowed him.

"You're so gonna get it, asshole!" Trevor called from the front seat.

"I'd like to see you try."

* * *

_**I've been writing for a while, but I never knew why I'm writing. Since the first line I've ever written; I've wondered who would ever care enough to read. And when will that person actually do. Would it be Stephanie? Or Logan? Or any of the guys? Could it actually be Mum or even Dak?**_

**_I'm not sure._**

**_We're all the same though. We all have that good part of ourselves that battles the evil one in that immortal battle. We all have those two continuously fighting parts but what matters; is actually telling the two apart, in the right time. It's all a matter of time._**

**_Good timing can change everything._**

Carlos marked the page in James's note book and stood up from the couch in his office. He walked to his desk, setting the notebook beside him and taking out a pen and a paper, taking a few notes.

* * *

**A Few Months Ago; May 2012.**

Lucy finally spotted James.

He was sitting far off from the music and noise; opting to drag himself a little bit further seeking some peace. He was sitting on the soft sand, his bare-feet rested on the ground and he was leaning in, scribbling away in a notebook.

"Hey, stranger."

"Hey, yourself." James replied with a smile; closing the notebook.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she sat beside him.

"Nothing, just some stuff for the camp." He replied as he reached for his leather jacket that was discarded beside him; thrusting the notebook and the pen in one of the pockets.

"Why do I always get the feeling that you're constantly lying?" Lucy asked and continued when James raised his eyebrows; "You know, acting all happy and laid back, with no care in the world. But I know you're sad, really sad. You just don't let it show." She elbowed him gently; "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sad." James chuckled; "I'm mad, big difference. Mad at myself, mind you." At her confused look, he turned his gaze towards the ocean in front of them and elaborated; "When I was young, I didn't notice a lot of wrong stuff that was going on around me. And as I got older; I never tried to change them. Sitting right now, I feel exactly like what you said I was." He turned to her again; "One big lie."

Lucy nodded; holding her knees up to her chest and hooking her hands around them.

"Did I do Stephanie wrong?" She asked after a while of silence.

"Oh, no. Absolutely not; not to you at least." He replied; "You don't even know what's wrong and what's right so I don't blame you for it." He shrugged; "You'll be fine."

"You know?" Lucy told him; "When were younger; I had a crush on you for a while." When James chuckled she continued; "Exactly; I knew you'd never think of me that way."

"You didn't have a crush on me." James shook his head.

"You love Stephanie though." She said, offhandedly; "Right?" James looked down and refused to meet her eyes; "So put yourself out there; get a girlfriend and live; move on."

"Funny you should mention that." He said; "You know, I never actually got close to somebody without them ending up hurting me? Or I end up hurting them? That's my problem." He shrugged; "I don't wanna cause anybody else any harm and I'm just tired of getting hurt."

* * *

**Present Time.**

_**I never actually got close to somebody without them ending up hurting me or me ending up hurting them...**_

Carlos stretched in his chair, closing the notebook when he heard the knock on his door. Jett walked in without waiting for an invite.

"The chief wants you in the office, man." Jett informed, getting a groan in response; "Yeah, your enthusiasm is much appreciated."

* * *

"Kendall Knight, director and Logan Mitchell, lawyer." An officer with a high rank read from the ID cards; gesturing for the two men to sit down; "Mister Mitchell; you're a lawyer and you understand that your presence with Mister Knight in a private property at that time is questionable." Logan acknowledged the man with a nod and a yawn; "I just would like to understand what you were doing there in the first place."

"We were driving, we got lost and the car got stuck." Logan replied; "It happens."

"Got lost two miles away from the main road?" He asked; "How's that possible? Were you leaving town or something?"

"Actually, we were coming back." Kendall said; "The getting lost part was my fault, though; I never drove along that road in the pitch black night before and Logan was asleep so he couldn't guide me through and my GPS wasn't working. We tried to call for help but there was no signal whatsoever, we had no other choice but to wait and spend the night."

"Okay." The man nodded and handed them their IDs; "I'd appreciate it if there was no repetition of this."

"Thank you." Kendall mumbled and stood up.

"The officer who arrested us; Trevor." Logan started; "The older one. I'd like to file a complaint against him."

"Is something wrong?"

"Aside from the rough treatment and threats; no." Logan replied; "Convicts are innocent until proven guilty, that's the first thing you learn in law school; he doesn't seem to grasp that fact."

"Logan." Kendall started.

"I'm not backing down, Kendall." The lawyer replied; "People like him caused James's death; I'm not about to tolerate that."

* * *

"She married a twenty year old?" Chad Andrews shook his head; "Wow, your mother is just wow." Wayne nodded; "And you think that guy has something to do with James's death?"

"I know he does." Wayne replied; "The way he talked... He knows something."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll try to piss him off, or something." The younger male said; "People let out a lot of surprising truths when they're angry. I'm just scared of what he's capable of; his father is a congressman, his family has connections. I don't want to end up like James."

"This is bad." Chad said; "Nobody will take it on you if you folded, you know? Just stay away from all this, come work for me here."

"No." Wayne shook his head; "It's time for me to step up, maybe even do something right for once. Logan is fighting his own battle and so is Kendall. And so should I. It's what friends do for each other, Chad. So, will you have my back?"

"Of course, son." Chad replied; "I'll have your back no matter what. And if you need anywhere to stay, the garage is safe."

"Yeah, I don't think I'll need to hide."

"Let's hope so."

Wayne nodded and stood up; "I better go. Kendall and Logan never came back last night and they're not picking up their phones; I should get back and check if they're home yet."

He kissed his father's forehead and left, trying to figure out a way to piss Dan Begley off; without ending up in danger.

* * *

"Good morning, sir." Carlos greeted as he sat down.

"How's the case going, Carlos?"

"Pretty smooth right now." Carlos answered; "A lot of things are getting clearer and I finally got the warrant to search Begley's; the place was closed but went back to business a few days ago."

The man sighed and stood up; "Are you aware that there are some lines that should never be crossed?"

"What lines?" The latino asked; "Will the investigation be stopped for any reason?"

"No, the investigation will go on." The chief replied as he walked around the desk; "There are a lot of cases that are stopped all the time, because if they ever continue; we will cause harm to some...people." He sat across from Carlos; giving him a pointed look.

"Oh..." Carlos said in realization; "You mean that if I continue after Dan, that would harm his father's image?"

"Are you asking me to make me feel guilty or to make sure?"

"Mix of both." Carlos sighed; "I've never felt so helpless at work before." He tapped his hand against the wooden desk. "I don't like being helpless."

"That's not helplessness." The chief said; "That's...sacrifice."

"I sacrifice for things I believe in." Carlos replied; "Not to get on Begley's good side; I could careless about that."

The chief nodded; "Look, let's just focus on James Diamond here, okay? I need to know who dealt him the cocaine." He ordered; "And stay away from Begley's son, am I clear?"

"Crystal."

And as Carlos walked out of the office, his suspicion that James Diamond was a dealer was slowly fading away.

* * *

Camille was sitting alone in Logan's office; skimming through her Facebook timeline.

Logan had gone out with Kendall the day before and she had yet to hear from either of them. She came in this morning to a hysterical sight; Wayne, who had spent the night, was pacing the life out of the entire apartment, not sure what to do about his missing friends.

An hour later, Wayne told her he needed some air and that he was going out to visit his father. They swapped numbers so she'd call him when Logan and Kendall showed up.

Her eyes widened as she saw a post, dated to the day before. One of her old college friends had shared a video she knew so well.

"Shit shit shit." Camille muttered as she played the video, confirming her suspicions.

_James's murder video was spreading._

* * *

"So can I see her?" Edward asked, worry etched on his face.

"Mr. Stone." The doctor started; "Your daughter had gone through a very intense surgery yesterday. You need to brace yourself for that."

"I need to see her." The older man pleaded, eventually convincing the doctor to let him see his daughter.

_And he wished he didn't._

The bruises that were on her face had somewhat faded with time; leaving behind a nasty yellowish color. Her head was still wrapped tightly in bandages and she was dressed in a new gown. This one had a slit at the front, where the bandage from the recent surgery was in display.

"Oh, Luce." Edward whispered, single tears slipping away freely from his eyes; "Baby? Luce?" He stretched a hand out to her, not even sure if should be touching her or she her fragile body can even handle it.

He sank to his knees by her bed, grabbing her hand that was free from the IV; hushed promises of vengeance leaving his lips.

* * *

After leaving the station, Logan ditched Kendall, claiming he had to go to an accomplice of his and try to get any updates on the case. Kendall thought about going back to Logan's apartment, knowing that Camille and probably Wayne would be there. He decided against it, though.

And that led to him sitting in Stephanie's office.

Stephanie, who had known from the first glimpse that he had a rough night, invited him to have a late breakfast with her, having missed the most important meal of the day for waking up later than usual that day.

They ordered and were now sitting on the couch, eating in a comfortable silence.

"Hey." Stephanie started; "Did you know Jo was offered a position to write in the local paper?"

"Really?" He asked, a proud smile already making its way to his face; "I have been telling her to apply for a while; she deserves the best."

"So..." She dug her fork into the plate; "What's up with you?"

"Nothing." He was quick to answer; "I'm good."

"Kendall, can you tell me why you and Jo fought?" She asked; "The actual reason?"

"We didn't fight." He sighed; "Jo and I talked, simple as that..."

* * *

**A Couple Of Days Ago.**

"What's that?" He finally asked, handing her the paper. She could see it was the picture Jenna had drawn a few days ago; of Jo and Jenna's father; Mark, where they were holding hands.

"What, Kendall? It's the little girl I told you about. She's just a kid; she doesn't understand anything."

"And why did that innocent little kid, who doesn't understand what's going on, draw you and her father holding hands?"

"Are you really going to go there?"

"Then explain this to me." He snapped but she didn't reply; "Fine, what about the pills? Why? Don't you love me?"

"I love you and you know that."

"Then why are you taking birth control pills? You make me use a condom and then use the pills too? Are you hating the idea of having a kid with me that much?" He exclaimed as he grabbed her arm a little bit too roughly; "Why don't you want to have a baby with me?!"

"I don't want a baby!" Jo shrugged him off, wincing at the pain that shot through her arm; "I'm free to choose to not have a baby!"

"Free? You're not free! You're free when you're picking whatever to wear when you're going out!" He snapped as he stood up, throwing the pills away; "We're married, Jo! Do you understand that? Married! Our life together is a company! You're my partner, my soul mate! And I'm yours! We make decisions together; we discuss our choices! You can't just make up your mind to what you want and I'm supposed to automatically adapt!"

"That's our life to you?" She asked; "A company?"

"Oh, come on!" He ran a hand through his hair, pacing around the room; "You know exactly what I meant, so don't play stupid. Company meaning that we chose each other, that we love each other. And we agreed on it, we said the 'I do's. Any decision; we make together. Do you get that?"

"I don't want to have a baby!" She said; "Can't you see how dark it is to live here?"

"What the fuck are you talking about? You don't get to talk about how dark and difficult life is! You driving the sickest car and living in a house others dream of having! Other families have kids and they live in a one bedroom apartment! A hole in the wall, literally! We have amazing jobs and living the best life!"

"You're the one living the best life! Seeing everything from inside your little bubble, you like your life because to you, life is just a commercial!" Jo argued; "A good picture, to die for colours and gorgeous models. But that's not the truth; the truth is that life is dark. It's difficult and dark. When the cops are running around murdering citizens! People like James, like us! An-"

"The truth is that you're selfish." He cut her off; "The truth is that you're crazy. The truth is that you don't understand anything but you think of yourself as a 'know-it-all'."

"I'm not crazy." She shook her head; "I'm telling truths. Facts. Facts that exist in my writing; my writing that you keep saying I should publish in a newspaper or something. Maybe if you thought of actually reading it, you would've understood where I'm coming from." She shook her head; "At least then; you would've known me."

Kendall chuckled sarcastically; "What I know now is enough."

He snatched his phone from her purse, touching his pants' pockets to make sure he had his wallet and car keys, then he left the room.

* * *

**Present Time.**

"And I know Jo's right." Kendall concluded his story; "But so am I." He stuck the cigarette he was holding into his mouth, inhaling a long drag; waiting for Stephanie to comment.

"I know what you mean." She nodded; "So, what are you going to do?"

"I want to do something that never actually appealed to me before and I used to tease anybody who did it." Kendall chuckled bitterly; "I want to take a break. Jo and I need to take a break from each other, until we figure this out. I'm confused; I need to figure this out."

"I know you're confused." She said; "James's death had us all running around like headless chickens. That's what death does to you; the loss, it makes you think your life through and feel the desire to complete every aspect that is missing in the fear that won't have enough time." Stephanie shrugged; "Including you and Jo."

"It's not about his death." He shook his head; "It's the fact that I've known him since the day I was born. I've known him for twenty-eight years and after he died; there's a huge possibility that I never actually knew him. Do you know how that feels like?" He took another drag; "I'm afraid that this is happening with Jo. I'm scared that after knowing her for so long and going through everything we've been through; there might be a possibility that I'll come to the realization that I don't know her."

"That's where I disagree." Stephanie replied; "You can't build a life on possibilities and assumptions. Facts, truths, those are the things lives should be built on."

"Truths, huh?" He chuckled shaking his head.

"What?"

"I've been working in advertising for all my life." Kendall answered; "My job is to lie to people. There would be chocolate that tastes worst than poop and somehow, I have to convince you that it will be the greatest you'll ever taste through a two-minute commercial. It's part of the job; selling. That's why I can't believe anybody so easily; when I'm a liar myself."

"I'll side with Jo on this one." She said; "You need a career change, as soon as possible."

"Honestly? I'll side with her on this one, too." He replied, twirling his cigarette between his fingers.

"You do realize I'm letting you smoke here because you look miserable, right?" He nodded and she continued; "Here's another thing to quit."

"Not these couple of days." He replied; squashing the bud in the ashtray; "Plus, marijuana is legal."

"Doesn't mean it's right."

Kendall smiled and shook his head; "Fine; I'll go smoke somewhere else." He picked his phone and slid it into his pocket; "I'll see you later, alright?"

She nodded and Kendall was almost out the door when she called out to him.

"You should really consider a career change, Kendall. You only get to live once and you never know when your time is over; make every second count."

* * *

"There you go, the report the labs sent back about that video." The man behind the desk said, handing Logan a file.

"Thank you, Sammy." Logan accepted the file from the thirty something year-old man; "The only thing that's missing to actually have a case now is the autopsy report."

"Strict orders have been already given out to redo the autopsy as quick and efficient as possible." Sam replied; "But we do need his father's consent to dig out the body."

Logan nodded and pulled the neatly folded paper out of his wallet and gave it to Samuel.

Now, Samuel Bennett wasn't a cop and he didn't even work in the law enforcement department, not anymore. He was just a private detective with a lot of connections, he retired after being shot fatally on duty.

Sam looked over the paper and nodded; "I'll send this in today and tomorrow I'll send someone to find when the officers and agents who were in the bust are being questioned."

"Great." Logan nodded; "I was really ticked about that."

"I don't want you to worry." Sam reassured him; "I'll keep up and inform you of any progress. Law is on his side, even if he was the accused in the first place. And if he actually turns up to be a dealer, it won't change anything; he's still human and nobody deserves to go like that."

"There's still hope, then?"

"Never give up hope." Sam smiled; "Never, Logan. You're a lawyer and with the kind of cases you take in, hope is a make it or break it deal."

* * *

"Shit shit shit." Wayne gripped tightly on his hair as he rocked back and forth on the chair he was currently occupying in Lucas Evans's Office; "So what now? I'm taking the fall for all of it? Everything?"

"No, you are not." Lucas replied crossing his legs; "I have your back. And you knew from the start that those documents were made for you to start up the camp; not to take the land."

"But Stone just had to give the land out to Lucy without bothering to tell us so we can correct the contracts." Wayne replied; "And now with the drugs; he had to go out in the interrogation today and say that his signature was forged?" He shook his head; "I'm a suspect in a drug case, don't you think that's a lot for me? And now the camp is gone, too?"

"I told you I have your back, okay?" Lucas answered; "Just sit tight and wait; I'll get you out of it. I'm that good."

"I'm not sitting tight or calming down until I meet him."

"You need to give him space." The lawyer instructed; "Lucy's condition is getting worse everyday and he needs space."

"I had nothing to do with Lucy's condition and you know it." Wayne snapped; "She was on James's motorcycle, not mine. He put her in the hospital, not me. And let us be clear; if James and Lucy hadn't fought that day; none of this wouldn't have happened."

"Wait; they fought?"

"Yeah." Wayne nodded; "After she and I had that yell-off, they went to his cabin so he could talk some sense into her. When they got out, he was fuming, dragging her behind him like she was his bitch or something."

"But if they hadn't fought; the cops would have busted James." Lucas told him; "With drugs, in the camp."

"But they both would have been okay."

"Let's pray she stays alive, Wayne." The older man said; "If she dies, Edward with eat you alive."

"I'm gonna meet him." Wayne stood up, grabbing his jacket; "Whether you like it or not."

Lucas watched as Wayne walked to the door, then called out to him; "Wayne." The man turned to face Lucas; "Did you know Lucy was pregnant?"

"What?!" Wayne yelled; "Pregnant? Lucy is pregnant?!"

"Oh, wow; you didn't know?" Lucas said then smirked; "Some kinda man you are, Wayne, not knowing your girlfriend is pregnant. Or that your best friend is a mini drug lord." He chuckled sarcastically; "I feel for you, buddy."

Wayne visibly paled. He turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

Camille sat in the living room, cross-legged. The TV was on but she wasn't paying much attention to it; too worried about her boss and his blonde best friend to care.

Wayne had come home an hour ago. He told her to go home and that he would call her when Logan and Kendall came home, but she refused to leave; not until she made sure Logan was okay. Wayne had told her that he respected her 'dedication' to her 'boss' and her 'care' for his 'well-being'.

_He actually used air-quotes._

Camille was done denying that she was in love with Logan. But her reasons for rejecting him still stands, there's just too much of him in her life already. Which wasn't helping her get rid of her feelings for him, anyways.

_Not that she actually wanted to._

_But maybe she did._

_That was messed up._

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear the front door open behind her, or Logan's footsteps as he walked into the apartment.

"I'd scare the crap out of you again, but I'm honestly too tired to deal with the beating."

Camille jumped up, once more startled by his quietness. She walked to him fast, fully intending on hugging him. She came to a stop in front of him and looked him up and down, not sure what to do. She settled with a pat on the shoulder, Logan watching as her hand touched his shoulder and retreated back awkwardly.

"You look like crap." Wayne's comment broke the awkwardness between the two.

"Well, that is some quality crap I'm seeing here."

Logan raised his eyebrows at Camille; "I'm not really sure whether I should be embarrassed or flattered..."

"Oh, definitely flattered."

Logan nodded and looked over to Wayne. He instantly noticed that despite the relieved smile on his face, he looked very troubled. The lawyer frowned at him.

Logan turned to Camille; "So, I had a rough day, I think that's evident." He said, gesturing towards his wrinkled clothes and slightly tousled hair; "Can I get a beautiful cup of coffee from you?"

"Sure." She turned to Wayne; "Coffee?"

"Yeah, thank you."

"Woah, woah." Logan said; "You're being nice to _him_!"

Camille shrugged; "We bonded."

"Bonded." He repeated and turned to Wayne; "You. Bedroom." Camille stopped dead in her tracks and looked at him, raising her eyebrow; "What? I want to talk to my friend."

"Right."

"And we're single men." Wayne told her; "We can screw whoever we want to screw." He teased.

"Okay, maybe not that." Logan chuckled.

Soon enough, Logan was sitting cross-legged on the bed in the guest-room, with a cup of coffee in his hand and Camille making dinner for the three guys.

"So, what happened to you?"

"I'm losing the camp." Wayne ran a hand through his hair; "Edward confessed that the camp belongs to Lucy and instead of admitting we had a contract between us, he went ahead and said his signature was forged. Everything is just... gone. The camp, the money, James... We're all over."

Logan sighed; "Kendall and I trailed Dan Begley yesterday." He told Wayne; "He took money from a sharp looking man, Kane Lee was there too."

"Kane Lee?" Wayne scratched his goatee; "Gang leader Kane Lee?"

"Yeah." Logan sipped his coffee; "I just don't understand why James would ever know those kinds of people." He put his coffee cup on the bedside table; "Anyway; we trailed them off the road; we ended up getting stuck in a private property. Arthur Griffin's."

"Wait; isn't Griffin's corporation the one who's sending Stephanie a delegate?" Wayne asked; "For the Chinese motorbikes business."

"Shit." Logan rubbed his hand over his head; "Looks like I'll be stopping by Steph's tomorrow, I guess."

"You're gonna tell her about the video?"

"No way; she'll be gutted." Logan shook his head; "It's no where near easy to watch the one person you love being killed brutally and if it was up to me, I would've wanted to not watch that video ever in my life. We're doing her a favor."

"You're a good man, Logan." Wayne said; "I've hurt you quiet a lot; you didn't deserve that. I hurt you in the Lucy thing and I hurt you when I do all the stupid things without going through it with you first. I'm sorry, man; I really am."

"Don't go there." Logan replied; "I never get mad at my friends, Wayne; you of all people should be aware of that. The Lucy thing; we were young and stupid and it blew over. I have moved on." He sighed; "I've moved on to a woman who's gonna drive me nuts, but still, I did move on. And we all do our fair share of stupid things all the time; I wouldn't hold that against you." He chuckled; "And come on, I'm basically the only human being that likes you in the entire planet. Give me some credit here."

"Thank you." Wayne smiled; "But I need you to understand that I'm not a bad person, not like what they keep saying. Not like Stephanie keeps saying."

"That's kinda arguable, don't you think?"

Logan's reply got him nothing but a smack in the face with a pillow.

Their pillow fight got cut short when the front door opened. Knowing it was Kendall, both Logan walked out of the guest room to see him.

Kendall walked in and walked tiredly to the couch, throwing himself down on it.

"What took you so long?"

"I went to Stephanie's." Kendall replied; "Then I went to Jo and traded cars, wouldn't want her to get in trouble for driving my car like I did today."

"So, all is good?" Wayne asked.

"I wouldn't be here if all is good." The blonde replied; "We didn't talk; I texted her and she texted back saying the car was at Stephanie's home and I should come and get it." He shrugged; "I didn't even see her."

* * *

A few hours later, after dinner; Camille had left. Logan had retreated to his room to get some much needed sleep, and so did Wayne.

Kendall was relaxing on the couch, where he will be sleeping, he had the TV on, despite being muted, and was going through Jo's blog, reading a few posts here and there.

His phone rang and he answered after checking the caller's ID.

"Hey, Travis."

"Yeah, nobody's home. I'm staying at Logan's."

"What commercial?"

"Okay, okay. I'll stop by tomorrow and see what's up in the company. Just don't panic, dude."

"Dan?"

"Thanks. I'll bring you the money tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure, Travis. I'll see you tomorrow."

Kendall sighed and hung up. He went back to his laptop and scrolled down, reaching the start of another post and started reading.

_**I never understood why the older we get, the more we miss ourselves when we were younger. Or what changes within us so suddenly and drastically that makes us that cruel.  
**_

_**I've slowly come to the realization that we do that to each other. When we bump heads at work, in a family reunion or just in a simple group of friends; the more the need to protect ourselves shines through. And the more that happens; the more ruthless we get and the more evil we appear to be.**_

**_That will be the end of us, someday._**

* * *

_**I miss my little brother all the time, Dak. I'm sorry I haven't been there as much as I probably should; but I know you'd rather read my words than never know them at all.**_

**_Right now; I'm sitting on the beach. But it's just so empty; there are not enough people in this place. It's not like when we'd go to the beach with Logan, Kendall, Katie and Ryan and run around all day long. It's not the same._**

**_It's eerily quiet here, but it reminds me of days long gone. Back when I thought dreams actually do come true._**

**_I miss those days._**

Carlos marked the page again and closed the notebook, resting it on his desk. The chief's words earlier had gotten to him pretty badly and he was stressed out. It was just after midnight, he spent the entire day in his office. He looked at the notebook again and sighed.

_Stephanie had been right._

She told him to go to James's home and try to get to know him better. He did, he got those notebooks. He wasn't even halfway through the first one, yet he felt like he knew James Diamond a hundred times more and suddenly he understood why James's friends refused to believe the possibility that he was a drug lord.

_He was having trouble believing that himself._

Jett pushed the door open, starling the latino out of his thoughts.

"Seriously?" Jett asked; "Are you planning on leaving the office anytime soon?"

"I'm just thinking about what the chief said earlier."

"You know damn well those weren't the chief's orders." His friend told him as he sat down on the leather couch, Carlos stood up and walked to take a seat on the couch himself; "Those are from above him, we both know that."

"And what now?" Carlos asked, "We just let Dan go? And everybody involved from the 'above inner circle'? Let James take the fall on his own?"

"Stop kidding your self." Jett replied; "This isn't about James and you know that. You took this case for Steve and that's it, nothing else. All you really care about is just somehow finding a link between Steve, James and the drugs."

"I have a reason to do so!" Carlos snapped; "He killed my wife!"

Jett shook his head, not wanting to get into an argument with the hot headed latino. He reached for a folder that Carlos didn't even notice he was holding and handed it to Carlos silently.

"What's that?"

"Some stuff we found on Lucy's laptop." Jett told him.

"Anything important?"

"Always want me to do the work, huh?" Jett chuckled and flipped through the folder; "Luckily, Lucy had her laptop set to log into Facebook automatically." He handed Carlos a paper; "This is a message to James, telling him that even though Dak wasn't related to him by blood; they're too much alike with their way and that he doesn't talk much, just like James."

"Dak is lying." Carlos concluded as he scanned the paper with his eyes; "He told me he didn't know her."

"A lot of people seem to be lying; that's why it's so hard to get to the bottom of this case already."

* * *

"Yeah, I just got home." Stephanie said into the phone as she walked towards the kitchen, spotting Jo instantly. The blonde was sitting on a kitchen stool, typing away. The moment she heard Stephanie, she closed her laptop and turned to face her. "No, I don't think I have anything tomorrow." Stephanie placed the take-out she got on her way home on the counter; "I already told you, Gustavo; I see no reason for me to meet that Richard Valentine again, he creeps me out." She sighed as she listened to the man on the other end; "Fine, fine. If you think it's the right thing to do." Stephanie hung up and turned to Jo with a smile; "You know, it feels oddly great to have someone to come home to; friend or lover; I just love that feeling."

"Hi."

"So, what did you write for us today?"

"Nothing yet." Jo replied; "I'm working on it."

Stephanie nodded and pointed to the plastic bags; "Dinner?"

"I'm not really hungry." Jo answered; "I want to go out."

"Now?" Stephanie asked; skeptical.

"I wanna ride a motorcycle."

The other woman grinned; "I swear to God; if you ask me to slow down or stop or any of that crap; I'll push you off and leave you."

"I won't; I promise."

Jo was almost at the stairs, going to the guest room to change when Stephanie called out for her.

"Why do you wanna ride a bike now?"

"I just wanna feel like flying."

* * *

Aaaaaaaaaaaaand DONE!

Okay, this time, I mean it. I need to study for my finals, this is serious. I think.

So. I've see BTInvasion…. I have to admit, it wasn't as good as I have anticipated it to be. The humor was there, James was there, but pretty much all the other boys were…. Not there? I don't, it felt _missing_, like something wasn't right. I laughed here and there, but not as much as normally do. Katie, Mama Knight and Budda Bob had me cracking up way more than the guys did and that didn't feel right.

On another note, have anybody seen The Wanted's new music video? Walks like Rihanna? What a mess! I mean, do they actually consider that a tribute for *N SYNC, Backstreet Boys and Take That? Because their fans certainly do. I don't consider it a tribute, though. A tribute should NOT have a story behind the video at all. Unlike Big Time Rush's tribute, where they impersonated the artists, ending it up as themselves. That was a tribute/evolution of boybands through history type of thing. This one? Yeah, I don't think so.

But the most hilarious thing is probably the comments. Oh, wow. A few Rushers going all "Nice work" and wishing them good luck. Then Directioners going on about how The Wanted stole BTR's idea (Beside of course, those who said they copied *NSYNC, BSB & TT, those don't understand the video what-so-ever.), and I just cracked up. Since when do Directioners defend our honor?

No wait, there's something even more hilarious than that…. Yep, The Wanted fans who think they copied those legendary bands and hate the video. Way to go and be supportive, peeps!

And I didn't even say anything about the song itself! What is that? Failed attempt to do Moves Like Jagger? It certainly didn't work. And what the hell is so special about the way Rihanna walks anyway?

My favorite part was around 1:15 when there was two Toms and no Nathan on the screen. Bad editing too? Yikes!

I'd say that's probably the worst music video I've ever seen. Yes, that includes Justin Bieber's Baby.

Till next time!

-J


	20. Chapter 20

SHATTERED! Ah, finally back to my BABY!

Don't get me wrong, Canon is awesome! But it didn't take as half the preparation as Shattered had taken.

But all that was in vain, I totally messed up the time line. I re-read the entire thing again and I was so pissed at myself. Hope that settles well with you guys,until I get the time to go back and fix it.

Enjoooooooooooooy!

* * *

"Stephanie." Annie Greeted the next day as she stepped into Stephanie's office; "I umm-brought you the news paper today, Jo had published."

"Awesome." Stephanie took the folded papers with a huge grin, excited to see Jo's article. She looked at Annie and noticed the blonde standing uncomfortably; "what's wrong?"

Annie shrugged and stuttered slightly and mumbled "Nothing."

"Annie, seriously." Stephanie furrowed her eyebrows in concern, "Is everything okay?"

"It's just..." Annie sighed; "There's this video that has been on Facebook for a couple of days now. It's important, you should see it."

"What video?"

"James's accident"

* * *

Wayne sipped the orange juice he had prepared for himself as he held the sandwich in his hand, walking to Logan's office. He opened the door to see Logan sitting on the couch with his legs elevated on the coffee table and reading the newspaper.

"Morning."

"Morning." Logan greeted looking up. He folded the newspaper and thrusted it to Wayne, under his hand that was holding the sandwich.

"Really?" Wayne asked and when Logan nodded, Wayne sat on the couch and put the glass of OJ on the table. He took the newspaper and held it under the sandwich as he ate; "OCD."

"Hardly, I'm just clean." Logan smirked, "So tell me, genius, did you really keep me away from your case for my own good?"

"Of course." Wayne nodded and took another bite from the sandwich; "If Evans found out you're involved, he won't leave you alone. He wants you back on his crack team or whatever. He knows you're a brilliant lawyer and he wants you." He looked around the empty room; "I thought Kendall was here, where is he?"

"Work." Logan replied; "And it's not that. You wanted Evans because he would get you out of it faster than I could do, specially now that Lucy is involved."

"I didn't do anything." Wayne chuckled; "I didn't deal drugs, the contracts with Stone aren't forged, I'm good. And I already said everything I know in the interrogation."

Logan gestured to the newspaper in Wayne's hand; "it says that the land belongs to Lucy, you're contracts with Stone are invalid."

"That's a no problem. Stone can't do anything to me, not even claim I forged them like he did with James's father."

"Why so?"

"Because I'm the only one who can't get Lucy out of this entire thing."

Logan frowned and leaned back on the couch, "There's nothing that can get Lucy out of this."

"Look, Stephanie was right. James did want to leave the camp thing but I stopped him."

"How?"

"Lucy."

* * *

**One Year Ago, December 2011.**

Wayne was sitting in his cabin, going over some paperwork for the camp when James smacked the door open, startling Wayne.

"Hi?" Wayne said, raising his eyebrows at James's behaviour.

"Did you know about the land?"

"Know what about it?"

"That the camp's land is a part of my father's land?!"

"Nope." Wayne shrugged and went back to the work in his hands.

James slapped the papers out of his hand; "You're lying to me now?" He shook his head, "I'm not-I can't do this, I can't work in this camp with you. Not anymore."

"No. No no!" Wayne shouted and sprang off the bed; "why the crazy talk now?!"

"It's not crazy talk, it is what it is." James insisted; "I'm not continuing this. I'll go to Stone and will tell him you were using Lucy to get the land. And I'll tell Logan that those were you're plans from the begining with Lucy; that you never loved her."

"Why? Why the hell would you do that? Why the hell would you bring Lucy into this?" Wayne objected; "Didn't you get the land? What more would you want?"

"I didn't get the land! And when i do get our land back, this wont be the way i do it!" James shouted; "And I'll even tell him that he's a fucking fraud and whatever happens happens!"

"Would you calm down so we can talk?!"

"There's no more talking between us!"

"Yes, there is!" Wayne shouted back; "There is Lucy, I love Lucy and I'm going to marry Lucy, okay? She's- I love her, and I want to marry her, I'm going to propose soon. This is the first time I want to do something right, you can't ruin that for me! Please, James!"

"Do something right by stealing my father's land? Are you crazy?!"

"God, James; I didn't know! I didn't know it was the same land until much later. When we have already started the business, I swear on my life!"

* * *

**Present Time.**

"But you two never got married...?"

"Right after that, Lucy started to pull away from me." Wayne explained, "It was all so sudden and I didn't know what was wrong so I proposed anyway, four months later. She said she'll think about it, then she started avoiding me. She came to the camp when I wasn't there; I rarely ever saw her. So I chose to sleep on the entire thing for a while."

"And the camp was Steve's idea and that's why Stephanie was pissed at you two?"

"Not exactly." Wayne shook his head, "Steve played me to get the camp, when he knew I was with Lucy. He used that to get to Edward." Wayne crossed his arms and sighed. He got up and walked towards Logan's desk. "It was the night of the accident." Wayne said as he hoisted himself up on Logan's desk, "Steve had invited Edward specifically to tell him about the camp."

"And then what?"

* * *

**Almost Three Years Ago, July 2009**.

Lucy was stoned, literally. She had one too many drinks and had an ecstasy pill. She felt like she was on cloud nine as she danced on one of the tables.

Wayne stomped his way towards her and grabbed her, tugging her down the table and away from the group of guys who were surrounding her.

"Ow!" She screamed as she tried to wiggle away from his grip; "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Wayne asked; "What did you that would have you all jazzed up? You were dancing on a freaking table with guys whistling and catcalling!"

"Nothing. Everything."

Wayne glared; "Fine. Whatever."

He turned around to leave but Lucy grabbed his wrist, "Okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She grinned; "I popped in a few pills, I'm a little out of it."

"Ecstasy?!" Wayne exclaimed, "Where the hell did you get those from?"

"Steve."

Wayne turned around just in Time to see Steve passing by, on his way from the bar, holding two drinks in his hands; "Steve!" He called and walked to him, leaving Lucy behind.

"Yeah?"

"You gave Lucy ecstasy? You know how she gets!"

"I didn't give Lucy anything" Steve shrugged; "I sold my stach to some girls, maybe she way with them? I didn't notice. Anyway, don't speak of Lucy, I was sitting with her father." Steve pointed with one finger towards a table where an old man was sitting, observing the crowds around him; "I'll introduce you." Wayne looked back to see Lucy had returned to her place on the table. He sighed and nodded, following Steve to the table, "Mr. Stone, I'm sorry for the hold up. This is William Dooley, my friend."

"Hi." Stone greeted and took the drink Steve had offered him; "William Dooley. Wayne Dooley, right?"

Wayne glanced at Steve to see his raised eyebrows and he turned to Stone again, "You know me, sir?"

"Not me." The man smiled, "But Lucy does, doesn't she?"

"Of course she does."

Stone nodded and turned to Steve, "You were saying?"

"I just need a part of the land." Steve said; "A fedan, a fedan and a half at most."

"Over looking the sea, with a beach."

"Well, the profit won't go all for us." He grinned; "It will all come back to you, anyway."

"How's that possible?"

"I'll take the land, I'll get water and electricity flowing." Steve explained; "We'll do, say, a five-year-contract. Cabins and tents rents will go back to you, but everything else that happens there goes to me."

"Happens how?" Wayne asked before Stone got the chance to.

"Sorry." Steve chuckled, "That's my job here."

"Fine, Steve." The man sighed; "I'll think about it."

"Great." Steve clapped his hands once and turned to Wayne; "I've been meaning to talk to Kendall, I'll go look for him." He turned to Stone; "Excuse me, sir."

"So what do you do, Wayne?" Edward asked as he watched Steve's retreating back.

"I'm one of Steve's co-owners in the coffee shop." Wayne replied, taking a long drag of his cigarette. "We have a coffee shop; it's pretty popular with locals. And since we're doing surprisingly well, we're thinking of opening a couple other branches."

"You're all thinking or is just Steve?" Edward asked, a smirk making it's way to his face.

"We all do, Mr. Stone."

"We'll see about that."

Lucy approached the two, hips swaying to the beat of the loud music, a bottle of liquor in her hand while a cigarette is tucked between her fore and middle fingers.

"Daddy." She greeted; "I see you've met Wayne."

"Steve introduced us."

"Wait." She set the bottle down and fished through her jacket's pockets, coming up with her camera. She took a couple of steps away and Wayne got the memo, moving to stand beside Edward. They both saw the flash and Lucy lowered the camera; "Great one; looking good, Wayne."

* * *

**Present Time.**

Carlos crumpled Steve's picture in his hand, throwing it to pile in the corner of his office, picking up James's journal again.

**Steve has always been like that. His head pointed towards money, profit and that's about it. He could sell the air if he wanted to, and that's exactly why I thought about the camp when he told me. I might have thought it was ridiculous at first but the more I thought about it, the more I liked it**.

* * *

**Almost Three Years Ago, July 2009.**

It was Steve's last party in town, the night of the accident and the same night Wayne and Edward Stone met for the first time.

James had been sitting with Logan and Kendall but they both have disappeared somewhere, leaving him alone. He was drinking a beer when Stephanie dropped beside him, frowning.

"This sucks."

"Oh, come on! Aren't you enjoying the party?" James asked, a smirk already playing on his face."

"No way." She replied sarcastically; "The company is amazing too."

"Oh yeah, such a bad liar."

"What do you want me to say?" She chuckled, gesturing around; "Everyone is drunk or high. Or both!"

"You're husband's party." He pointed behind her; "Speak of the devil."

Stephanie turned around and frowned at the way Steve was, literally, stumbling towards them.

"Hey, guys." He slurred when he reached the table; "Have you seen Kendall?"

"He was here a few minutes ago, but I lost him and Logan to the crowd." James answered.

"I'll go look for them." Stephanie said and picked her purse, leaving the two men alone.

"It's good she left." Steve said with a sly smile, suddenly all sobered up, "I wanted to talk. I had a dream last night."

James raised his eyebrows and chuckled; "Okay?"

"I'm on a beach, with a gorgeous camp-set up right behind me." Steve explained, wiggling his eye brows. "Safari... That kind of stuff. What do you say?"

"I say you should buy a new blanket or something." James chuckled; "That's some crazy ass dream you had. My father is losing his mind for a camp of his own and now you?"

"I'm not uncle Jeff." Steve smirked; "He didn't know what he was doing, I know what I am doing. And who to call to get things done. I know someone who will help us pretty much every step of the way?"

"Who's that?"

"That's irrelevant." Steve dismissed him with a flicker of his hand; "Now, I want you to get me money so we could work together."

"How much do you need?"

"How much can you give?"

"Fifty bucks." James chuckled; "That's all I have. You know all the money I get from the cafe goes to the lawyers."

"It'll get better." Steve promised; "I won't leave you, okay? Even If I have to pay for your share myself." He looked up and smiled slightly; "I'll be back in a few, okay?"

**That was the first time I had heard his idea.**

**I still wish I hadn't.**

* * *

**Present Time.**

"How was Stone so sure he'd get Jeff's land anyway?" Logan asked and furrowed his eyebrows.

"What the hell, Logan?" Wayne chuckled, "You're smarter than that."

"Wait." Logan said and stood up from the couch, "You mean that Stone and Evans knew that the land would go to him a full six months before the jury made their call?"

"Why did you tell me?" Logan asked; "Hell, why didn't you tell James?!"

"You can't play hero, Loges." Wayne told him, "Who was the mastermind behind Evans's epic defense on Stone's account? Who went to James?" He continued as Logan looked down in guilt; "Who went to him and told him to take the money Evans offered? Who did Evans send?"

"I went, okay?" Logan said and crossed his arms, "But I didn't go for Edward or Lucas."

"Then for who? For James? Because he's your friend?" He shook his head, "You and I both know that's not true."

Wayne squeezed Logan's shoulder and left the room, leaving the lawyer alone to run his hand through his hair in distress.

* * *

Carlos was almost out of the DEA building when Jett caught up to him.

"Where have you been all day?"

"In the office." Carlos shrugged, "Paper work."

"Well, I just heard." Jett grinned, "Congrates, man!"

"On what?"

Jett raised his eyebrows, "Court date earlier today." At Carlos's raised eyebrows he continued, "The accident? Steve Jacobs had just been absently sentenced to ten years. It's only a matter of arresting him." He raised his own eyebrows as Carlos sighed and smacked his forehead, "What? Ten years not enough?"

"No." Carlos shook his head, "I just can't believe I actually forgot about the court date."

"Well, I heard it didn't last that long anyway." Carlos nodded and was about to leave when Jett stopped him again; "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to see Javi." Carlos replied and turned around to leave again, checking is watch.

"Carlos."

Carlos stopped again, sighing extra loud; "Yeah?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

* * *

"Where the hell have you been those past couple of days?" Olivia asked as she followed Kendall through the hallways of his father's advertising company; "Your cell phone has been off, why that?"

"Easy, Oly." Kendall chuckled, "What's with the twenty questions? Don't I get a 'Good Morning' first?"

"If you don't answer me, you'll answer to Mr. Knight." Olivia replied as they reached Kendall's office, "Kenneth was searching for you yesterday and he even called Travis and more or less, wiped the floor with his ass to know where you were!"

Kendall spun in his heel to face her, "He called Travis?! What am I? Twelve?" He shook his head and pushed the door to his office open, walking in. The open drawers and messed up desk was the first thing that caught his attention, "What the hell? Who the hell went through my desk? Who entered my office?!"

"Uncle Kenneth was the only person who came here."

Kendall nodded and sent Olivia on her way. He was seeing red as he walked through the hallways of the company, to where his father's office was. Kenneth's secretary tried to stop him but he walked into his father's office anyway, unannounced.

"Mr. Knight, can I know the reason why would you go through my office?"

"First, that's my office, not yours." Kenneth replied, waving for his secretary to leave the room, "The entire building is. And I have the right to search anybody I find suspicious."

"Suspicious of what?!" Kendall exclaimed.

"And I was right." The father replied, twirling around in his seat to get to the set of drawers behind him. He opened one of them, retrieving what seemed to be a normal cigarette back. "You smoke weed." He simply said and turned to Kendall, "So, do you want this to go from father to son or an employer to his employee?"

Kendall looked down and sighed, sitting on one if the chairs in the office, "Whatever you see convenient."

"Where have you been those past couple of days?"

"I was staying at Logan's." Kendall replied. "Some stuff had came up in James's case and we were working on them. And here I am, back to work."

"You're not here for work." Kenneth shook his head and threw the cigarette pack towards Kendall, hitting him in the chest, "You're back for those. God only knows what else do you take, addict."

"Now I'm an addict?" Kendall said in disbelief; "It's just weed, dad. That's legal in like, half the states. What the hell do you want from me?"

"Kendall, I love you and I care for you, you know that." Kenneth stated as he took off his glasses, "This company is yours just as much as it is mine. I can't leave it for you, when I'm not even sure you're capable of running it right. And when I'm tough on you, it's only because I'm trying to teach you. So do you want to learn?"

Kendall chuckled and shook his head slightly, "You know, I've been working with you since graduation and this is the first time you've actually asked me that?"

"Ask you what?" Kenneth said, "There's nothing to ask. You'll learn to have a job. What more could there be to ask."

"Maybe the fact that you should have asked me if I wanted to learn from you or not." Kendall told him, "And I would have proudly told you no."

"Oh yeah?" Kenneth chuckled sarcastically. Kendall shook his head again and stood up, ready to leave the room, "Kendall, if you leave now, you're never going to step foot in here again."

"So?"

* * *

"How the hell could you not tell me?!" Stephanie screamed at Jo as they both sat at the somewhat empty coffee shop, "Why did you keep it from me? Why did Logan keep it from me?"

"We didn't want to upset you." Jo murmured.

"It can't be worse than how I'm feeling right now! Everyone else saw it! Everyone else knew!" She screamed again, wiping at the tears that were streaming down her face, "How could they-why would they do that to his?" She asked in a much lower voice.

Jo tried to reach for Stephanie's hand to squeeze it, only for Stephanie to slap her hand away, "We don't know. But it looks like it was more than just an accident, Logan thinks that someone might have tipped off those policemen to do what they did."

"That's why Logan stopped by and asked me if there was anyone who would benefit from James's death..." Stephanie realized, running a hand through her hair.

"What do you mean?"

"It means Richard Valentine..." Stephanie said as she got up, grappling her helmet and jacket.

"Who's that?" Jo asked, "Where are you going?"

"I don't know who Richard Valentine is." Stephanie said as she put on her jacket, "But I need to know who he is."

* * *

Kinda short compared to the loooooooooong wait. Sorry, I'll try to update as soon as s possible.

Leave a review, let me know what you think.

-J


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